The Crown I Will Take From You - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 3

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“Are you really not going to talk? I don’t want to do this either. Just say you’ll leave!”

Smack.

“Ugh.”

“Do you need to see blood before you come to your senses? If you die like this, no one will know! Not even your master! It’ll just be a dog’s death!”

Jena gritted her teeth as she brought down the whip while Neryl squeezed her eyes shut.

She seemed unaware that staying silent with her mouth firmly shut only fueled her opponent’s stubbornness.

“Fine. Let’s see how long you can keep your mouth shut like that.”

“Cough.”

A groan burst out as the hand came down again.

“You’re suffering because you chose the wrong master. What a loyal knight you’ve become!”

Right, her master.

‘I wonder if Your Highness is alright.’

Neryl stared blankly into space.

When the Princess had collapsed bleeding from her forehead, her heart had sunk.

‘She must be safe.’

If she had awakened, would she notice that I’m gone? Would she look for me?

Neryl soon let out a hollow laugh.

She wasn’t affectionate like the other maids, nor did she know how to fawn over anyone.

She was curt and blunt, always speaking harsh truths, so Medeia disliked her.

Knowing this, she found herself foolish for imagining such vain hopes.

“Sister, does it hurt? Should Dea give you this? Don’t cry.”

From long ago, which the Princess probably couldn’t even remember, when those tiny hands had saved Neryl, she had decided to devote her life to serving Medeia with complete loyalty.

“How about it, won’t you come under me?”

“Stop bullying her now. That Neryl girl caught the baby Princess’s eye, so instead of being dismissed, she was selected for the Royal Guard.”

That’s why she wanted to stay by her side. She wanted to give back even a little of what she had received.

‘If I’m gone too, will Your Highness be able to get by properly in the palace?’

The thought soon led to long-standing worries she couldn’t shake.

This place was the heart of a den of demons.

The Regent, the Queen Mother. Even mere servants hoped for the young Princess’s downfall.

“If you really die like this, I don’t care!”

Whoosh.

Amid the repeated whipping and her fading vision, her head gradually became hazy. Just as Neryl was struggling to keep her eyes wide open to stay conscious,

The silhouette of a small girl flickered before her eyes.

Was it a vision of the Princess? Or perhaps death was truly approaching.

“…Your Highness?”

But the vision didn’t disappear and still stood before her.

Neryl blinked her eyes.

“How did you get here…!”

Jena’s surprised voice also sounded distant.

Bang-!

When the Princess snatched Jena’s whip and hurled it to the floor, the hazy vision finally became reality.

“What are you doing!”

Jena was so startled that she forgot the other person was royalty and shouted.

Her stomach lurched, but she soon realized it was Medeia and felt secretly relieved.

“That’s what I should be saying.”

The Princess’s voice was colder than ever before.

“Who told you to take my maid and beat her without my permission?”

“No, Your Highness. I was just, there’s been a misunderstanding. Wait, who let Your Highness in?! Who was it?”

As Jena’s flustered voice grew louder, the Princess commanded the maid standing behind her.

“Bring Neryl here.”

The maid hesitated.

Everyone working in the Royal Palace knew that Jena was a confidant of Lady Quizin, the Mistress of Maids.

In this vast Royal Palace, if nobodies like her fell out of favor with the Maid Supervisor? Their future life would obviously be miserable.

“Hurry.”

“Yes!”

But right now, it was Medeia who held the maid’s leash. Even if she was only half-recognized, a Princess was still a Princess.

If she fell out of favor with royalty, she couldn’t even remain in the palace, so even if life became a bit harder, it was better than losing this job that paid gold coins in these tough times.

Having made her decision, the maid quickly ran over and helped Neryl up.

Her condition was quite horrific. Having been whipped for over half a day, it was amazing she was still alive.

“Ugh.”

“Good heavens…”…

The maid soon discovered that Neryl’s right arm was unnaturally twisted and swallowed her shock. Her elbow was swollen.

“Ha.”

Medeia also discovered Neryl’s wretched state and scoffed.

“Who gave you permission to take her? You! Put her back down!”

Jena glared at the maid.

“Then answer me. Who gave you permission to do such a thing?”

“…That is.”

Under Medeia’s cold gaze, Jena instinctively shrank back. Her green eyes were flashing.

She was someone who had slain countless monsters and even evil dragons, having gone through imperial succession struggles and the empire’s dark schemes.

Even though she had returned to the past in a young girl’s body, the killing intent honed sharp through crossing life and death was something a mere maid could neither see nor handle.

‘What kind of child’s eyes look like they’ll devour someone…!’

Had the Princess always had such presence?

She couldn’t remember well, having only seen her always with her head hung low, eyes fixed on the ground.

“Take her away.”

Jena trembled involuntarily like prey before a beast. She barely managed to clench her fists and shout in a shaking voice.

“N-no…! You, what are you all doing?!”

Both Jena’s followers and those who had heard the commotion while passing by gathered in small groups.

But they were all overwhelmed by the Princess’s imposing presence and held their breath, not daring to step forward.

“Y-you cannot leave!”

When no one stepped forward, the desperate Jena finally tried to physically block the Princess.

Then, parting through the gathered crowd, a middle-aged woman appeared.

“Your Highness the Princess, what is this… disgraceful behavior.”

Elegant hands picked up the whip scattered on the floor and handed it to Jena.

It was Lady Quizin, the Maid Supervisor.

After the previous Maid Supervisor retired for some reason, she was the woman who had secured the vacant position of Mistress of Maids.

Despite not being of noble birth and having somewhat lacking experience, she had claimed the optimal position to control the inner palace.

Behind her was Medeia’s uncle, the House of Prince Claudio.

‘Along with the Minister of Palace Affairs, she became uncle’s hands and feet. Without those two, uncle couldn’t have controlled the Royal Palace.’

This woman had been part of Medeia’s difficult palace life.

Replacing everything in the Princess’s Palace with inferior goods that were only fancy on the surface, embezzling the budget, then blaming it on Medeia’s extravagance was routine.

Targeting Neryl now was probably also following the Duke’s orders to completely isolate Medeia in the Royal Palace.

“Your Highness, the children will escort you safely. You just got up from your sickbed, so you shouldn’t overexert yourself.”

The Maid Supervisor wore a mocking expression and didn’t even listen to Medeia’s response. She was simply trying to send her back by force.

“What are you doing, hurry and escort Her Highness-“

“Maid Supervisor, what was your reason for secretly taking my maid and beating her?”

Medeia raised her voice and cut off the Maid Supervisor’s words.

“Without a proper trial or determining right from wrong, just whipping her – since when has the Royal Palace been so unreasonable?”

The Maid Supervisor raised her eyebrows at the unexpected question.

It was the first time the timid princess, who was pushed around even by mere maids, had raised her voice.

“Your Highness, though it may be presumptuous, before being Your Highness’s maids, they are children under my jurisdiction. As a supervisor serving the Valdina bloodline, I have a duty to properly manage these children.”

Lady Quizin answered sternly.

“That child Neryl was not only negligent in serving the Valdina bloodline, but even caused harm to Your Highness, so her crime is by no means light.”

As if teaching a foolish wretch, the Maid Supervisor openly sighed and added her explanation.

“We are servants here to serve the Valdina bloodline as our top priority, so we simply do our best. Does that answer your question?”

Though calling herself a servant, the Maid Supervisor couldn’t hide her contemptuous gaze.

Ah, how unfair God is.

Why did He make someone as capable and diligent as me bow down to such a half-wit?

“Now then, please allow us to escort Your Highness back.”

“Maid Supervisor.”

“Sigh. Please speak, Your Highness.”

“Listening to your words, something seems strange.”

Medeia spoke quietly to the Maid Supervisor who sighed as if annoyed.

“You said at the end of every sentence that you serve the Valdina bloodline.”

“Yes. Because that is my duty and calling as a servant of the royal family.”

“But as you know, there is more than one or two with Valdina blood in this royal palace.”

The Maid Supervisor paused and stared at Medeia.

The gaze of the girl who had just risen after lying in bed for days was strangely clear.

“Close by, there’s grandmother the Queen Mother and uncle Prince Claudio, great-aunt Princess Loren and great-uncle Count Montega, and if we include their children, we couldn’t count them all on two hands. But is there such a thing in this world as a servant who serves so many masters?”

Medeia’s face was expressionless.

“So I ask you. Maid Supervisor, to whom does your loyalty belong?”

“….”

“Among the many with Valdina blood, who might it be?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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