"Look! They are looking for you so they can catch you and kill you!"
Smoke was already rising from various parts of the palace. It was proof that the rats that the Regent had released into the palace were doing their job properly.
"Me?"
"Aren't you the only Princess left in this kingdom? Without you, they can't build a new dynasty. In the end, it's a fight for legitimacy."
His voice sounded very serious and eerie.
"If you are captured, this royal family will be in danger. Those cruel traitors will take you hostage and threaten your brother."
"..."
Looking down at the confused green eyes, the Regent held his niece's shoulder with his thick hand as if trying to push her down, and meet her eyes.
"Medea, I know you misunderstand me. But I swore to my dead brother that I would keep you safe no matter what happens."
Medea barely managed to answer, her lips quivering.
"Then, then... what will uncle do?"
"I am..."
The Regent answered with determined eyes as if he was prepared for death.
"We have to protect this place. We need a country, so we can fool their eyes, right?"
The Regent's eyes lit up with a solemn expression as if he would not hesitate to make any sacrifice for his niece.
"Medea, hurry and take cover. I have prepared an escape route so that you can escape the traitors and escape the palace safely."
The Regent nodded to the knight behind his shoulder.
"My knight will guard you until you can escape to safety."
A sturdy knight wearing armor bearing the emblem of Duke Claudio bowed down to Medea.
"I will sacrifice my life to ensure that Your Highness the Princess is taken to a safe place."
"..."
But the Princess remained frozen in place as if she could not hear the knight's words.
They could see her thin shoulders trembling.
"You must be scared. You probably didn't expect them to turn the palace upside down."
The Regent emphasized again, pressing her in a more commanding tone as if she might have second thoughts.
"Are you going to stay here and be their puppet? You don't plan on handing over this country that your brother sacrificed his life to protect, do you?
"... I understand, Uncle. I will do as you say."
Medea nodded. Her sparkling green eyes were so full of moisture that they looked like they would fall if struck.
Yes. Yes!
The Regent secretly cheered and gave the knight a secret look.
'Take Medea out of the secret passage and hand her over to the rebels. Don't forget my last request.'
'Yes, Your Highness.'
Before entering the Princess's palace, the knight stiffened slightly as he recalled the Regent's words.
"If there's one rebel, make sure to make a deep scar on that child's face. It can be anywhere, like the mouth, the cheek, or something. It wouldn't be bad to gouge out one of the eyes."
The Regent noticed that Jason was quite interested in Medea.
"Later, the Grand Duke of Castullo will go to rescue Medea, but I must nip that thought in the bud before it gets any deeper."
The position of Grand Duchess was bound to belong to his daughter Birna.
The knight clucked his tongue at the Regent's wickedness in not only trying to usurp his nephew's throne but also ruining his niece's future but soon nodded his head as he remembered the reward he had proposed.
"Then Dea, you must survive."
The Regent held Medea's hand tightly once more, let out a sorrowful voice, and then turned around.
"..."
Medea did not leave until her uncle was out of sight.
The Duke's knight urged her on.
"Your Highness, you must move quickly. There is not much time."
"... I'm so worried about my uncle that I can't even bring myself to leave."
Not knowing that he was leading her to her death, she was worried about the Regent in the midst of all this. The knight clicked his tongue as he looked at the dull and weak Princess.
"Where are the rest of my family? My aunt? Samon and Birna? I can't leave them behind and run away alone."
Since she was being stubborn even though time was of the essence, the knight could not stand it and answered in a slightly annoyed tone.
"The three of them have escaped first, so they will be safe. The Regent has told us to prioritize Her Highness' safety, so please move quickly."
"It's not."
At that moment, the Princess muttered softly between the corners of her lips.
"Birna, she's here in the palace."
"Yes?"
The knight doubted his ears as if he had misheard.
Princess Claudio, why is his lord's daughter, who should be safe at the ducal palace, in this chaotic palace?
"I summoned Birna through Jason. No, to be exact, through the maid."
"Yes?"
The moment the knight asked back, his vision went dark.
"Zeta."
Medea winked at Zeta, who appeared behind the knight who had fallen down.
Zeta quickly hid the knight's body under a pile of bushes and took off his armor. Then he put on the armor with the emblem of Duke Claudio's house.
"Let's go to Birna."
***
Valdina Palace, the residence of the ambassadors.
"My Lord, why are you doing that?"
"I must leave Baldina. There has been a rebellion."
The countenance of the Count of Kensington, who was holding the letter, changed.
"They are moving north, shouting to overthrow the royal family. They will soon reach the royal palace."
"There's not much time. Can we get the entire delegation out of here in that time?'
Kensington bit his lip. For a moment, he felt helpless, and it was his mistake to delay in confirming the transmission from the Red Fox.
"My Lord, why are you in such a hurry? Let's find out more about the situation-"
Kensington couldn't stand it any longer and shouted.
"This rebellion might even be her scheme!"
The Hunting Grounds Incident left the Regent, the Fourth Princess, and even Jason in jeopardy, with nothing to gain.
The Princess wrapped them in a web like a spider's web, just because they threatened her.
What is even more surprising is that no one, not even the miserably exiled Grand Duke Castullo, is aware that this incident was orchestrated by the Princess.
'I sent out a small group of them, and now there's a rebellion. Where on earth is the Princess, and who is she targeting this time?'
A slight goosebump ran down his spine.
At that moment, a sudden realization struck him.
'If you could, you could have hidden it from me, so why did you reveal it?'
A Princess who had struck the back of the heads of the three giants Valdina and Katzen without a sound would not have left any traces behind.
So if Kensington could sense her movements, it means Medea intended it.
"You deserve a better Master."
"Ha..."
Only then did Kensington realize Medea's intentions and let out a hollow laugh.
The Princess was tempting him. To abandon those pathetic, ungrateful people and follow her.
"This is the first time in my life that I've experienced such courtship."
Even her master, Perdiccas II, did not show this kind of 'sincerity'.
He couldn't tell whether he should be grateful for her sincerity or be wary of her as a Katzenian. This was truly the first time he'd encountered such a strange person.
"... First, tell Her Highness the Fourth Princess and the delegation to prepare to leave this palace immediately."
"Your Grace, aren't you going?"
Umberto tilted his head, noticing the hesitation in Kensington's attitude.
"For now."
A calm voice rang out.
"I think I'll just watch a little longer. It's not hard to avoid my own body."
Kensington crossed his arms.
"I'll find out soon enough."
This time, he might be able to watch the puppets dancing on the board the Princess has set up.
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