The Crown I Will Take From You - Chapter 59

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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 59

* * *

Prince Claudio’s estate.

Early in the morning, the Regent’s carriage that had departed for the royal palace only returned near sunset.

“Father, have you returned? Please give me the pardon order, I’ll go to the Prime Minister’s residence immediately.”

Samon had no doubt that Medeia would stamp her seal on the matter of pardoning the Minister.

“Father…?”

Seeing his father hesitate, he asked with a look of disbelief.

“Did that wench refuse, saying it couldn’t be done?”

“No, that’s not it…”

“Then what?”

Unable to contain himself, Samon snatched the scroll from his father and unrolled it.

Swoosh—!

The bottom where the King’s seal should have been stamped was blank.

“She demanded a bribe.”

The Regent’s voice rang in the flustered Samon’s ears.

“A bribe? That fool?”

“Yes. That fool indeed. She asked for thirty chests filled with gold bars.”

“Thirty chests?”

Samon asked back as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Has Medeia gone mad?”

“Seeing Quizin must have suddenly sparked her greed. Then she forgot her place, intoxicated by the newly experienced luxurious life.”

“…”

Samon stroked his chin.

Medeia was stupid. She was weak to affection, and therefore foolish.

But she wasn’t greedy. She was even less the type to calculate money.

‘What has changed? This isn’t like Medeia. Why suddenly? Why now…?’

As Samon fell deep in thought, Claudio patted his son’s shoulder.

“In any case, this isn’t bad news for us. If she moves for money, it means we just need money, doesn’t it?”

Etienne’s charges were entangled with military law, making them too dangerous.

Fearing that helping him might expose their own crimes as well, no one from the Regent’s faction dared step forward rashly.

Unless they were as foolish as the Princess, no one would recklessly jump in to save the Minister without looking ahead or behind.

So they had to somehow meet Medeia’s demands.

“The problem is how to prepare thirty chests…”

Filling thirty chests with gold bars was difficult even for the Regent to handle alone.

“Excluding the secret funds to send to the rebel forces and Osopp, the spare funds our family can currently manage is at most about five chests.”

“Is that all?”

The Regent frowned. It was much less than expected.

“Yes. The military funds for the rebel forces were already sent late due to delayed deadlines. Moreover, we don’t have much spare funds due to repaying the costs of this banquet.”

Damn it. The Regent bit his lip.

The rebel forces and the banquet were all because of Medeia when you think about it.

His teeth ground at the thought of having to give money again to the very person who had cut off the money source that had flowed like a cornucopia.

“Father, we can’t bear the entire burden of saving the Minister alone. The Minister himself and his subordinates should also know.”

Samon calculated.

“Anyway, if we scrape together from here and there, it’s not an entirely impossible amount.”

“Understood. I’ll convey that to my Minister.”

Claudio left to contact the Minister, who must be desperately waiting for news of his rescue by now.

* * *

The Princess’s Palace.

“But Your Highness. If Prince Claudio really comes with thirty chests truly filled with gold coins, will you really release the Minister?”

After Prince Claudio left, Saya asked. She couldn’t understand it at all.

Why should our Highness save that pig-like evil Etienne?

Even though she was ignorant of politics, she could predict the tremendous repercussions.

That the people currently cursing Etienne would treat the Princess the same way too.

She hoped her kind master wouldn’t fall for the dark intentions of the Prince who asked his young niece, of all people, to clean up after such a filthy man.

“As if.”

“Then why did you say that?”

Medeia’s lips curved up wickedly.

“Because our uncle needs to be frantically busy preparing thirty chests to save the Minister for a while.”

That’s why she demanded a bribe at a level the Regent couldn’t handle alone.

While busily running around to prepare the tight funds, he would naturally have less and less leisure to carefully tend to the Minister in prison.

It’s not like the Minister could escape anywhere at this point.

“Out of sight, out of mind, as they say.”

But would the Minister, locked alone in prison, appreciate the Regent’s efforts running here and there to save him?

Rather, given his suspicious nature, wouldn’t he suspect that the Regent was scheming something else in his absence?

“Neryl, tell Sisear to stop by the prison once.”

It was time to plant the seeds of suspicion.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Medeia intended to test how far the trust between the Minister and the Regent, which had been stronger than ever in her past life, could endure.

“Your Highness, and Umberto is waiting. When Your Highness is ready, I’ll escort you.”

Medeia nodded.

* * *

“Ugh…”

Umberto, regaining consciousness, let out a groan.

His vision was completely hazy.

‘Where is this?’

When he tried to move his body, he was bound by tight ropes and couldn’t budge.

‘What happened? Who captured me?’

Umberto traced his memory.

At Count Etienne’s estate, which had been turned upside down when the royal knights stormed in, he had succeeded in slipping away without a sound.

‘I was just about to move to the headquarters’ contact point. Then…’

Thwack. The dull pain he had felt in the back of his head was his last memory.

‘To think I missed someone’s presence. Damn it, I let my guard down for a moment because I was pleased to see that pig get dragged away.’

Realizing he had been attacked by someone, Umberto bit his lip.

Living as a spy, it wasn’t that he hadn’t expected such a day to come. However, he hadn’t known it would be now, at this very moment.

Step. Step. The sound of footsteps could be heard.

Soon, the tightly closed door opened. Umberto straightened his back.

‘Two people. One has a heavy sound. A knight? The other one is, the sound of fabric dragging? A woman?’

Scrape. With the sound of a chair being pulled, one of the two sat down. Neither spoke first.

‘Damn it, I can only guess from sounds.’

The sack over his head had tight weaves, making his vision unclear.

He could only barely guess that someone was sitting there from the vague silhouette behind the rough fabric.

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, the sack over his head was whisked off.

Umberto squinted as hard as he could at the light that painfully pierced his eyes.

Only after some time passed and his eyes gradually adapted to the light could he properly see the person sitting in front of him.

A silver-haired girl in a black dress was staring at Umberto.

Skin so clear and white it was almost pale. Vivid green eyes, a noble jawline. She looked somehow familiar.

Umberto had seen this girl very recently.

Where? Before he could even ask in his head, his eyes widened like lanterns.

“P-Princess…?”

“It’s been a while, Umberto.”

The Princess snapped her fan shut and offered a greeting. Her tone was quite friendly, as if speaking to a close associate.

“Do… do you know me?”

‘It’s been a while? Have I ever met the Princess of Valdina before?’

Danzu had already determined there were no useful targets among Valdina’s royalty and sent me to Minister Etienne’s side.

“The Queen Mother has been in seclusion for so long that it’s difficult to place a spy, and even if we managed to do so with great effort, there would be little benefit since she’s withdrawn to the back chambers.

Prince Claudio, the Regent, has already joined hands with Kazen’s high-ranking officials. Approaching him carelessly without knowing what’s behind it could risk exposing our organization.

And the Princess of Valdina… isn’t even worth placing a spy near.”

The foolish Princess, whose presence was so insignificant that she couldn’t influence politics in any way, wasn’t even considered by them.

‘Danzu’s judgments have never been wrong.’

Yet, as if mocking that very judgment, Valdina’s supposedly idiotic Princess was now greeting me right before my eyes.

With a comfortable and friendly demeanor, as if looking at an old friend.

“Do you… know me?”

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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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