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Chapter 12
“If it’s the master you’re referring to, I understand he is currently residing in a small estate outside the royal capital.”
After the death of the former king, Marquis Gilipos retired. Since then, he had not intervened in politics at all, devoting himself solely to nurturing the next generation.
He was also a renowned national hero. Many in the kingdom still respected his integrity and noble character.
Tap. Tap.
The light, rhythmic sound of an index finger tapping the table echoed steadily.
“I’ll have to see him. Without anyone knowing.”
At some point, Medeia quietly asked,
“Is that possible?”
“I will make the preparations.”
Neril nodded firmly.
Through the window, the distant national flag of Valdina could be seen faintly hanging atop the castle walls.
“Bring down the flag! Bring down the fallen Valdina royal family!”
In this life, the traitors waving beneath that flag would never survive to climb over those walls.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Your Highness.”
A new maid entered quietly, lifting the hem of her dress as she walked.
Her careful, restrained movements seemed to show she was being cautious not to upset Medeia in any way.
“Your Highness, the Duchess of Claudio has arrived.”
Medeia lifted her head.
Claudio.
That familiar yet longed-for name.
The woman who had never once sent word—not even when the head maid was punished with a whipping, nor when the princess’s palace was isolated as retaliation—was now visiting so early in the morning. What could be the reason?
It seemed the news had spread that the head maid had removed all surveillance over Medeia.
“Let her in.”
Medeia’s eyes sparkled with curiosity about what the woman would say.
“Your Highness!”
Her elegant aunt, Catherine Claudio, entered with bright makeup.
She was a striking beauty.
As a noble-born daughter of a prestigious marquis family, she had once been a flower who made countless men in high society weep.
Her slender waist was accentuated by an elegant dress that flowed richly around her figure, making it hard to believe she had grown children.
“I originally intended to visit Your Highness as soon as you awoke, but I collapsed from travel fatigue myself… When I opened my eyes, it was already today. Please forgive me for visiting so late.”
She must not have collapsed—she had likely been observing the situation instead.
“It couldn’t be helped, Mother. Surely the generous elder sister wouldn’t fail to understand such circumstances?”
Behind her entered a beautiful young girl with flowing pink hair.
“Birna.”
“Yes, sister. I’ve come as well. I missed you so much that I begged Mother to bring me along to the palace. You’ll understand, won’t you?”
Her cheeks, glowing with the same pink hue as her hair, looked as though they were filled with sunlight—utterly charming.
In her previous life, she had been known as “the flower of Valdina,” dominating high society.
Medeia looked at her beautiful aunt and cousin.
“Ahaha! So you think you’re something special just because you’re a princess? Look at you now. Valdina has fallen, and your brother was torn apart and killed by beasts! All because of a foolish girl like you!”
The enemy who betrayed her, destroyed her homeland, and drove her own children to death stood right before her eyes.
Beneath her calmly folded hands, her fingernails dug deep, leaving marks.
“Duchess.”
However, Medeia showed no outward reaction. She had no intention of ruining her plans over a fleeting moment of anger.
Slowly, she would bind them—until they reached their most miserable and painful state.
Catherine paused, then relaxed her brows as if puzzled, unable to understand Medeia’s distant demeanor.
“Please don’t address me so coldly.”
A delicate hand reached out and took Medeia’s hand. With her other arm, Catherine embraced her and gently patted her back.
A sweet, comforting fragrance drifted from the duchess.
There had been a time when Medeia wondered if a mother’s embrace might feel like this.
But now she knew—the rot hidden behind that gentleness.
“Does your head hurt, Your Highness? Falling from a horse may seem fine on the surface, but many suffer serious aftereffects. One must never take it lightly.”
Concern filled Catherine’s eyes.
“I’ve also brought a physician to examine Your Highness. They say he is a divine doctor from the Kazen Empire who can make even a cripple walk again in an instant.”
A divine doctor from Kazen?
Medeia suppressed a laugh.
So that was why she had rushed to find her—but had not mentioned the head maid at all.
“So that’s how it is.”
“My mother searched everywhere out of concern for Medeia’s well-being. He’s from the Empire, and his pride is so high he refused to come to Valdina. We had to spend countless chests of gold to bring him here.”
“Birna, mind your words. If you speak thoughtlessly and cause Your Highness distress, you will be reprimanded.”
As Birna complained, Catherine scolded her sternly.
“Mother, that’s too much. I can’t even tell who your real daughter is anymore. Don’t you think so, sister?”
Medeia did not answer and merely smiled faintly. Embarrassed, Birna pressed her lips together.
Birna’s complaints, Catherine’s gentle pats—
“In the past, I thought this was affection.”
She had truly believed they treated her like family, as if she were their own daughter.
But now, after everything she had endured, she could see the hypocrisy hidden behind their sweet words.
They had exploited Medeia’s loneliness and hunger for family, using the notion of “true kinship.”
The Kazen Empire, which bordered Valdina, possessed fertile lands and abundant grain.
Valdina, surrounded by mountains and cold weather, often requested aid from Kazen.
However, the Empire frequently used such aid as leverage to demand tributes, earning widespread resentment.
“Last time, they demanded three hundred young knights from Valdina as tribute.”
That was also why the former king and Peleus had opposed them and declared war.
They sought to break free from Kazen’s interference by seizing the western plains.
“In such a situation, the Valdina princess is to be treated by a physician from the Empire? And one from an enemy nation, no less?”
At a time when prolonged war had already increased criticism toward King Peleus,
news of the immature princess’s behavior would inevitably reflect upon the king himself.
Medeia’s foolishness would become a weakness tied to her blood-related brother.
“They are of the Empire, so we cannot let them enter freely. He is waiting outside the palace gates now. If Your Highness is agreeable, we will bring him in immediately. You—”
Though Catherine appeared to be waiting for Medeia’s approval, she had already turned toward the maid.
“No, Aunt.”
Medeia raised her hand to stop the maid, cutting off Catherine’s words.
“Thanks to Neril protecting me, I’m perfectly fine. The palace physicians who visited have already confirmed it as well. If he truly is as skilled as they say—capable of making a cripple walk again—wouldn’t it be better to present him to Grandmother first?”
“Her Majesty the Queen Dowager…?”
Catherine’s hesitation went unnoticed as Medeia continued casually.
“I heard from the maids that Grandmother has been suffering from gout and aching knees recently. Even after several renowned physicians visited, there’s been no improvement.”
The Queen Dowager was thoroughly a Valdina native.
From her era onward, the exploitation by the Empire had continued for generations, making her intensely hostile toward Kazen.
She would not even turn her body in the direction of the Empire—so if she learned the physician was from Kazen, she would erupt in fury.
And the duchess who brought him would be placed in a very difficult position.
“Your Highness remains far too kind. The Queen Dowager already has excellent physicians, so you need not worry so much.”
“No matter how skilled they are, they cannot compare to someone called a divine doctor. I had been worried, but thanks to Aunt bringing such a renowned expert, I’m truly relieved.”
Medeia blinked innocently, pretending to be a granddaughter concerned only for her grandmother, as if she noticed nothing.
“Though I would like to go myself, Grandmother would likely be displeased to see me, so Aunt, please take him to her in my place.”
Medeia passed the divine doctor into her aunt’s hands.
“Besides, if a divine doctor has come and I, a mere young princess, were treated first out of order, wouldn’t that seem presumptuous? Foolish people would say I’m using my brother’s influence to manipulate Valdina.”
That was precisely the reputation they wanted for Medeia.
“Therefore, while I appreciate your kindness, it is more than I can accept right now. I trust you will understand, of course?”
Medeia blinked innocently.
