Princess Valdina's Palace.
"Your Highness, the 4th Princess, what kind of rudeness is this?"
The peaceful palace suddenly became noisy.
The fourth Princess pushed aside the knights and walked inside.
Medea raised one arm to stop Neril and Zeta from drawing their swords.
"Good morning, 4th Princess."
Then, Medea greeted her with a surprised look on her face.
"As their reputation suggests, the Katzen people are brave and unstoppable."
The 4th Princess bit her lip to suppress her impatience at the gentle ridicule.
'What on earth are you thinking?"
After the Princess of Valdina, who had gone missing in the hunting grounds, returned safely, the 4th Princess felt relieved as all suspicions and blame were directed towards Duke Claudio's family.
'Yes. Judging from the fact that they're only catching Claudio, they don't seem to know that I'm involved. That's fortunate.'
It was only for a moment that she was able to relax.
"What should we do, Your Highness the Fourth Princess? The Princess of Valdina has found out about the whole thing. She has taken away the evidence that proves that Your Highness the Fourth Princess was behind this."
"What?"
It was said that the Princess had taken away the workers who had brought the herd and even the letter that had given the order.
Angelique was flagged.
"I told you I destroyed all the evidence! You idiot! What the hell were you doing!"
But it wasn't just the subordinate's fault.
The fourth Princess didn't know, but Jason's evil plan was involved here.
Jason secretly stole evidence of this incident and left it behind to use as an excuse to attack the Fourth Princess later.
And the proof is that Medea was recaptured.
In a complexly tangled web of threads strangling each other, the winner who held the last thread was Medea.
"Ahhh! How did that end up in the Princess's hands! How! Why on earth!"
The 4th Princess was furious. There was irrefutable evidence, so she couldn't deny it.
Now that the Princess, who was the person involved, had found out, it was the end.
But one day, two days, several days passed and nothing happened. Medea did not seek her out, did not denounce Angelique's crimes, and did not hold the Empire accountable.
'Medea, what are you thinking? How are you going to trap me this time?'
The 4th Princess couldn't stand her anxiety. Didn't the Princess of VaIdina already have a history?
The 4th Princess, who had fallen for her provocation and had her relief stolen twice, could not feel at ease at all.
'Yeah, I'd rather be nervous than have that girl attack me at any moment.'
She thought it would be better to be the one to take the lead, but she couldn't hold back and pushed in first.
"... Princess, I would like to have a private conversation with you."
The Princess tried to keep her voice low and calm as if asking when she had come running while blowing out her breath.
Yet her busy eyes scanned Medea. Medea responded with a gentle smile.
"As much as you want."
In the Princess's reception room, a small tea time was held for just the two of them.
The 4th Princess watched the maid bring down the tea with a somewhat composed expression.
But her feet were trembling beneath the dress, and her hands were restless, repeatedly grabbing and releasing the hem of the dress.
A subtle ripple occurred in the tea in the teacup on the table.
"What on earth are you thinking?"
As soon as the maid who had been pouring the tea left, the 4th Princess gritted her teeth and muttered quietly.
Although there were only two people in the room, she and Medea, she looked afraid that someone might find out.
"Princess, what are you saying?"
"You even took the remaining deposit, so why don't you say anything when you know that? Is driving people crazy your hobby?"
Without even having time to look at Medea, who pretended not to know and asked again, the 4th Princess burst out with the anger she had been suppressing.
"Huh? What on earth are you thinking?"
The shrill voice sounded almost like a stifled scream.
"..."
Medea scanned her bloodshot eyes, her chapped lips, and her rough skin.
Unlike the fourth Princess who always appears in a flashy manner, she seemed to be quite anxious to the point where she didn't care about her appearance.
"Things will be resolved sooner than you think."
Medea answered as if giving medicine.
"Just now, I was just about to discuss that matter with Sir Sessair. And now that you've arrived, it's time for you to come."
The 4th Princess paused. No, this can't go on like this.
She thought there was at least still room for negotiation with Medea. If that girl didn't have any other wishes, she wouldn't have kept her mouth shut until now.
"Princess, are you really going to do that? The relationship between Katzen and Valdina will be ruined because of you. Are you sure you can handle it?"
"Well, it's not me who has to bear that burden, it's Your Highness the Princess. I'm the victim who didn't know anything."
The fourth Princess bit her lip, taken aback by Medea's soft remark, and then crossed her arms.
"Princess, you said you fell off a cliff and don't remember anything, but you've been looking for evidence. You're also lying about losing your memories, aren't you?"
It was a subtle threat that what would happen if it turned out to be a lie that the Princess had lost her memories upon her return.
Medea smiled.
"4th Princess, I don't think you came all the way here to find out who did what."
Medea calmly placed the token on the table.
It was a testimony and the personal details of the witnesses that the 4th Princess had brought a pack of wolves.
She bit her lip.
"Hmph... Ha, if this gets revealed, will my beloved father cast me out? Then you will turn the entire empire into your enemy!"
Her face, which raised her chin as if she were not afraid, was full of pride.
'You're mistaken about who's holding the leash.'
Medea smiled brightly at the Princess who was strangely raising the corners of her lips and giggling.
"Oh, Empress Dowager, the mother of the Third Prince, would know better than I how to utilize this."
At that moment, the 4th Princess's complexion turned pale as if she had been splashed with ice water.
After the 1st Prince, who was an absolute powerhouse, became terminally ill, the 3rd Prince stood out in the fierce competition for the throne.
He and the Fourth Princess were rivals who would attack each other's backs.
Although she was currently the most favored of the Emperor of Katzen, her position was not complete.
If she wasn't careful with her brothers who were eyeing her, she would be pushed out in an instant.
"Is this really the only weakness of the Fourth Princess in the hands of the Empress? We will have to wait and see if this evidence adds up and becomes a move that can even bring down your maternal grandfather."
"...You-!"
"By the way, didn't the 4th Princess drag your maternal grandfather into this relief effort? That should be enough of a justification."
The 4th Princess trembled at the gentle threat. Her bones ached at the taunt she let out.
"Princess, do not make light of this trip to Valdina. You must show that the Empire's influence is still intact even without the First Prince. You must win His Majesty's heart. Do you understand what your mother is saying?"
The Fourth Princess remembered the advice her mother, Empress Dowager, had given her before coming to Valdina.
The true power of Princess Angelique comes from the Empress behind her. If the Empress's feudal dynasty collapses, it will be impossible for the Fourth Princess to obtain the imperial throne, no matter how much she is favored by the Emperor.
Angelique was not surprised at how the Princess of this small country was watching the current Katzen imperial family's power struggles as if they were the back of her hand. Because she was too busy rolling the abacus beads with her head down.
"What do you want?"
The nerve cord was cut. The 4th Princess screamed in a fit of convulsions.
"Tell me. I'll give you whatever you ask for!"
"Princess."
Medea's soft voice seemed to soothe the fourth Princess.
"What if I told you a solution to this problem?"
"...Solution?"
The fourth Princess turned her head with sharp eyes.
"I am a precious person who has fed and supported the people of Valdina. If our interests are aligned, there is no need for me to contact the shameless Empress Dowager."
"..."
"I can't hide the evidence that's already been revealed. Someone must shoulder the blame for releasing wolves into Valdina's hunting grounds and targeting me."
The appearance of the fourth Princess in Medea's green eyes was like that of an animal that had been lured by bait and walked right into the trap set by a hunter.
"But, it doesn't have to be you, Fourth Princess. You're not the only one in Katzen's delegation."
The fourth Princess's eyes sparkled.
The eyes, filled with misguided selfishness that thought that nothing mattered as long as she could avoid making mistakes, glowed black.
Medea continued talking as if she didn't know and suggested a way out.
"One thing my knight discovered while investigating this case is that the Grand Duke Castullo' knew that you had brought a pack of wolves to the hunting grounds, but he turned a blind eye to it."
"What?"
'So he knew this would happen and just left it alone?'
After enough time had passed for the 4th Princess to absorb the shock, Medea threw out the bait again.
"They are so close that Count Raju of the delegation even lodges at the Regent's house. And, as you know, Count Raju-"
"Jason's man. He's trying to please me by acting like that in front of me."
The angry fourth Princess cut off Medea's words and answered.
She remembered the night Samon had seduced her.
From that day on, the 4th Princess became close to Samon to the point where she turned a blind eye to his free movement in and out of the bedroom.
'It was he who urged me to hunt. Samon, you rat-like creature. He conspired with Jason to deceive me.'
If Samon had heard this, he would have been furious and said that it was some ridiculous speculation, but unfortunately, he was lying in the Duke's house, groaning from being beaten.
The materials that Medea presented to the Fourth Princess were very plausible. When put together, they contained exactly one message.
"Jason, that damned bastard dares to step on me and use me?"
The 4th Princess's eyes opened wide and then narrowed again. Because she figured out Jason's intentions through the clues the Princess gave her.
Anger filled the beautiful face of the 4th Princess.
She was the one who always made fun of her cousin who was always gentle and cautious.
She had no idea that the man who had been keeping his head down all this time was actually secretly targeting the throne from behind her.
"What will it cost you, Princess, to tell me this?"
The fourth Princess, who had been biting her lips and swallowing her anger, soon looked at Medea with suspicious eyes.
"Sardinia."
"..."
"I think that's enough of a return for the favor I extended."
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