"Your Highness, we can't make our child fatherless, can we?"
Samon smiled at the glowing Fourth Princess.
"Kill him, beat that bastard to death!"
The knights of the 4th Princess hesitated. They too could not believe what they had just heard. Who? Whose child is the Princess?
"Kill him! Kill him!"
When the commotion began, the maid and the knight tried to dissuade the 4th Princess.
"Your Highness, this is the palace of the Valdina. The little Duke is also a prisoner awaiting execution. If you continue to abuse your authority, you will be giving this country another excuse."
"Ahhhhhhh!"
The fourth Princess screamed, clutching her head.
***
"These bug-like things-!"
As soon as she left the prison, the 4th Princess kicked the wall and threw a fit of hysteria as if the relaxed demeanor she had when she entered was a lie.
Then she raised her arm and sniffed. It seemed as if the foul stench of the dirty prison had permeated the air.
She quickly wiped her body with the handkerchief she had as if trying to get rid of the smell of the van.
A trace of anxiety appeared in her eyes.
Although she denied that what Samon said could possibly be true, she stilI felt uneasy.
The maid stared at her glowing appearance with anxiety.
"That's ridiculous!"
No way. That damn bastard is cornered and is just threatening with whatever he can get his hands on.
"The doctor, haa, bring him."
"Yes, Your Highness."
However, the divine spirit who had been summoned in such an urgent manner by the Fourth Princess did not reassure her but instead gave her an answer that was like a bolt from the blue.
"You got pregnant..."
"That can't be true. Look at it again carefully. I'll give it back to you!"
The 4th Princess immediately denied it.
Pregnancy was confirmed through a urine test. But no matter how many times she repeated it, the doctor's answer was the same.
".... I may be presumptuous, but you are pregnant. Your Highness the Princess must have felt changes in your body. Your periods have stopped or your sense of smell or taste has become more sensitive than usual."
That can't be, that can't be!
But the Princess already knew in her head that the doctor's words were reasonable.
It's been several months since she's had a bowel movement. She thought it was because she was having a headache due to so many things recently since she was already irregular...
If a meal had even the slightest unpleasant smell, she would often skip it because it would make her want to vomit.
It didn't take long for her to feel better again, so she thought it was just a passing whim...
'Really, I was pregnant?"
The Princess lost in thought, did not notice the doctor secretly clenching his fist and tightly closing his eyes.
"No, this won't do!"
The 4th Princess's heart suddenly sank. Her eyes went dark.
"Send a letter to my grandfather and mother, quickly! We must figure out a way to do something."
Samon Claudio, that bastard could never be my husband.
He was a fool who couldn't even reach the level of the people she had been engaged to.
"And you go to the prison now and kill all of Claudio's teeth tonight."
The Princess turned and gave orders to her knights.
He dared to use cunning methods and sow useless seeds, and he had to pay with death.
However, the Princess's malice did not reach Samon.
"Hello, Your Highness the 4th Princess. This is a letter from His Majesty to Her Highness the Princess."
The Emperor's letter had arrived before that.
***
King Valdina's office.
The letter delivered by Emperor Katzen's envoy also reached the leadership of Valdina.
The envoy was driven out of the administrative palace as if he were being driven into a cold atmosphere.
"This can't be happening. Release Claudio!"
D'Angel thrust his dagger into the golden scroll in indignation.
"Why do they have to interfere in the affairs of other countries?"
"It is said that the Princess is carrying Samon's child. Since she is of the Katzen royal blood and the fact has been known to the Holy Nation, the Emperor has decided to marry the two and take the Regent's family to Katzen."
The scribe recited the contents of the torn scroll.
Everyone was outraged.
Now that the traitors have been eliminated, all that remains is the execution of the regent, the last of their kind.
But to let them go is like cutting off their nose right before their eyes.
"You don't look surprised, Dhea."
Peleus stared at his sister.
In this place where everyone can't hide their excitement, the only one who maintains their composure is the Princess.
"Ever since I heard that Samon was coming and going from the Fourth Princess bedroom, I wondered if there was a possibility that this could be the case..."
Medea answered in a calm voice.
"It's probably not what the Fourth Princess wanted either. It's because Samon somehow grabbed onto the lifeline of the Fourth Princess to avoid execution."
"..."
Does it mean that it's okay to cling to Katzen as long as it saves your life?
As a man, as the head of a family, does that mean he doesn't have even the slightest bit of honor?
The people in the palace felt a deep disgust towards the Claudio clan.
In the midst of all this, D'Angel, who had a fiery temperament, was the first to raise his voice.
"It doesn't matter either way. Your Majesty, why should we, Valdina, listen to Katzen? Just execute him right away, Your Majesty."
D'Angel's eyes flashed as if he was about to jump into the Katzen Empire at any moment.
"If their necks have already been cut off, what can they do? We have to push on without any hesitation, just like they did to us."
"Chief, this isn't something we can decide on so hastily."
But Sissair shook his head in disagreement.
"Have you forgotten that your opponent is the Empire? Although we, Valdina, won the Ten Years' War and took control of the Plains, we have suffered great losses both at home and abroad from the war that has been going on. And there have even been rebellions."
"..."
"The inside and outside of the kingdom are extremely unstable. In this situation, if Katzen were to invade using that incident as an excuse... You're going to start another war? Do you think the people would understand that? In that case, not only would it not be suppressed, but even Valdina's fate would be uncertain."
Sissair took off his monocle and touched his dry face. He could feel the thick fatigue flowing from his whole body, making his young appearance pale.
"Thanks to Your Highness's efforts, we have managed to prevent the national treasury from being emptied and the royal family from collapsing, but this is all for now. Do you know how many problems lie ahead of us now?"
These were the words of the Prime Minister in charge of Valdina's state affairs. No one could deny his point.
While Agema cut down countless enemies, Sissair read and saw numbers dozens of times that number.
Numbers have no honor or conviction. They only speak of cold, sober reality.
And the numbers Valdina had at the moment were not very generous.
"The plains will provide a foundation for us to stand shoulder to shoulder with Katzen, but that doesn't mean we can stand up to them right away. With our current national power, we can't stand up to the Empire."
"..."
"It's time to take a step back and focus on strengthening our foundation, not waging another war."
His words criticized the realistic situation.
"..."
There was silence in the room for a moment, as his words could not be denied.
"So, are you saying that we should just be manipulated by the empire like a puppet?"
D'Angel exploded with anger.
"Even putting aside the war with the Empire... Katzen also knows that their demands are unreasonable."
Sissair pointed to the lower part of the golden scroll.
"So, I proposed to hand over the mines in the Anphron region bordering Valdina. In the past, this was a property that the Empire would never have given up."
The Anphron region was famous for its gold mines. The gold veins had not been cut off for decades.
Katzen never once gave away any of its property to another country.
This could be seen as a very generous price, or as a sign that the Emperor cherished and protected the Fourth Princess.
"..."
"If it's Anphron... then it seems like we have no choice but to look at the real thing. If it's the gold buried there, it will be of great help in rebuilding the country."
Sissair, insists on giving up the Regent's family for the practical benefits that the gold mine will bring.
"But that is absolutely not possible. In the end, isn't that allowing interference in our internal affairs? No matter what they offer, we at Valdina must reject it unconditionally!"
D'Angel, who insisted on continuing the war with Katzen as an exoskeleton, stood firm.
The once quiet interior soon became noisy again.
Amid a tense battle with neither side giving an inch, Peleus stared at his sister.
"Medea, what do you think?"
A calm yet affectionate voice came out of him.
People's attention was focused on the Princess.
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