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Chapter 4
Madam Quisin fell silent.
She should have answered “the king” without hesitation.
But she couldn’t.
Because her true master was not the king—it was the regent duke.
And here, there were ears belonging to the Claudio family.
If I say my master is the king… the duke will start suspecting me.
The regent duke Claudio was obsessively suspicious.
Even now, he didn’t fully trust her—he constantly compared her reports with those of the spies planted in the palace.
If that paranoid man heard about today’s events, unnecessary suspicion might fall on her.
“Of course it’s His Majesty the King, isn’t it?”
“Why is the head maid hesitating over such an obvious question?”
Even the onlookers began to grow suspicious at her silence.
At that moment—
Bang!
Medeia slammed the table beside her.
Startled by the sudden noise, the head maid quickly composed herself.
But it was too late—everyone had already seen her hesitation.
“Was it a difficult question?”
Medeia smiled faintly.
“…Your Highness.”
“It seems you’re not used to your new position. You couldn’t answer right away.”
Quisin bit her lip.
“I was merely surprised by such an obvious question! My master is His Majesty King Peleus!”
“Is that so? Truly?”
“Of course. Why does Your Highness trouble me over such a self-evident matter?”
“Neril is a maid personally entrusted to me by my brother, His Majesty, before he left. Before that, she belonged to his royal guard. Are you trying to break the king’s own command?”
Damn.
The head maid swallowed hard.
That little girl was cornering her completely.
What the hell is wrong with her today?!
She needed to escape this situation.
“No matter if she was once part of the royal guard, Neril is now a palace maid. As head maid, I have every right to administer immediate punishment.”
“The retired captain of the royal guard is still in the capital, isn’t he? I wonder if he’d agree that a knight he trained so carefully could be punished at your whim.”
“…Your Highness!”
The head maid gritted her teeth.
The former captain—who had served the late king—was still a respected figure.
Not someone she could easily provoke.
The more she spoke, the worse it got.
She felt as though she was being dragged deeper by the girl’s words.
No matter what’s gotten into her today, I need to crush this before she gets any bolder.
She took a breath and steadied herself.
The order from the regent duke was clear:
completely remove that leech of a maid attached to the princess.
“I fail to see why this conversation is even necessary.”
Her tone turned cold.
“Your Highness is merely of the king’s blood. In truth, you are not my master—nor the master of the servants in this palace.”
And then—
“…Furthermore.”
Malice flickered in her eyes.
“If not for Your Highness, I would still be serving the late king. A wise ruler who governed both inside and outside the nation—someone who would never have required me to discipline anyone like this.”
Silence fell.
“But the late king and queen met a tragic end… as you know, because of you.”
The air froze.
Yet despite the blatant insult, Medeia remained silent.
“….”
“Without the royal family’s generous forgiveness, Your Highness wouldn’t even be allowed to remain in this palace.”
Quisin grew bolder.
The Queen Dowager hates her. The king isn’t any different. Why else hasn’t he returned even once since his coronation?
Peleus, too, shared Medeia’s “flawed bloodline.”
But his talent and ability overshadowed it, earning widespread admiration.
No one dared mock the young king who bore the kingdom’s fate.
But Medeia was different.
Her perceived shortcomings, combined with the stigma of “causing her parents’ deaths,” made her the target of scorn.
In this palace, she had no allies.
And everyone knew it.
“Someone who lives here only by His Majesty’s grace dares to act like a master now.”
A heavy silence followed.
Seeing Medeia’s pale face, the head maid felt a surge of satisfaction.
She barked:
“What are you waiting for? Continue the punishment!”
Jena hesitated, her eyes darting between the two.
“Acting like a master…”
Medeia’s quiet voice cut through the silence.
It carried an eerie weight.
The head maid paused—but dismissed it.
“Stop dawdling and get on with it!”
“Very well, then.”
Medeia turned.
People thought she was about to shield Neril with her body—like Neril had done before.
But instead—
She picked up a long switch lying beside the whip.
“Head maid.”
“Yes?”
“Come here. Lift your skirt.”
Everyone doubted their ears.
“…What did you just say?”
“You’re not deaf, are you?”
The most shocked was the head maid herself.
This brat… is she seriously trying to challenge me?
“You don’t mean to—hit me with that?”
“I respect your reasoning. Interfering in Neril’s punishment would indeed be overstepping my authority, as you said.”
Medeia’s fingers slowly traced the polished surface of the switch.
Her movements were graceful—yet eerily familiar.
For a moment, it didn’t look like a switch—
but a sword.
The aura around her was sharp and solemn, like a knight judging a beast.
And yet—
she had never left the palace.
Never even held a proper weapon.
“In Valdina, there is a law. Those who neglect their duties within the palace may be punished by the king.”
“Yes. Then I shall request punishment when His Majesty returns.”
The head maid scoffed.
Will the princess even still be here by then?
“And in the king’s absence, that authority belongs to his appointed proxy.”
Medeia pulled out a seal and held it up.
“My brother left this to me. Your appointment was stamped with it—you should recognize it.”
Before leaving for war, Peleus had entrusted her with authority over palace affairs.
As long as she held that seal, no one could deny her position.
It was both proof of her legitimacy—
and her weapon.
Though she had been too foolish to realize it before.
“Which means—I can punish you myself.”
The head maid’s face flushed red, then pale.
“That… I’ve never heard of such—”
“Never? Even though the regent duke used this very law to purge the palace administration when the late king was at war?”
Murmurs spread.
“That’s right… the minister and most of the administration were removed.”
The whispers reached her ears.
It had been a massive purge—families destroyed, dozens executed.
Yet she hadn’t known.
Then people remembered—she had entered nobility through remarriage.
She may have missed that bloody chapter entirely.
“My, head maid. You truly are ignorant.”
Medeia tilted her head mockingly.
“You said you couldn’t serve my father because of me. If you miss him so much, perhaps you should study his reign more. It might help you process your regrets.”
What would the duke think, knowing she still longs for the man he overthrew?
This brat is cornering me completely!
The head maid bit her lip.
“…Your Highness is correct. Then I shall also do my duty. You have no objection, I assume?”
At this point, it was about pride.
She couldn’t bow to a mere child.
“As you wish.”
Medeia nodded.
“You heard her. Jena—continue.”
“H-Head maid…”
“Now!”
“…Yes!”
Jena finally moved.
Crack!
It was both compliance—and a challenge.
Watch carefully. See what your foolish defiance has caused.
The head maid glanced sideways at Medeia—
But her expression was unreadable.
“Head maid. Lift your skirt properly.”
Swish—!
Even as the ash switch bent through the air—
the head maid didn’t believe it.
There’s no way she’ll actually strike me.
She’s not that foolish—she must know what opposing me means—
CRACK!
Her thoughts shattered.
Her mind went blank.
Or perhaps it was the burning pain that came first.
A sharp gasp escaped even the surrounding maids.
