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"The clever hunter doesn't need to chase—she simply waits for prey to walk into her trap."
"Your Highness the Fourth Princess, what manner of rudeness is this?"
The peaceful palace suddenly erupted into chaos.
The Fourth Princess pushed past the palace knights and strode inside without ceremony.
Medea raised one hand, stopping Neril and Zeta from drawing their swords.
"Good morning, Fourth Princess."
Medea greeted her with an expression of pleasant surprise.
"As their reputation suggests, the people of Katzen are indeed brave and unstoppable."
The Fourth Princess bit her lip, suppressing her impatience at the gentle mockery.
What on earth is she planning?
After the Princess of Valdina—who had vanished in the hunting grounds—returned safely, the Fourth Princess had felt momentary relief as all suspicion and blame fell squarely on Duke Claudio's family.
Yes. Since they're only pursuing Claudio, they must not know I'm involved. How fortunate.
That relief lasted precisely one day.
"What should we do, Your Highness? The Princess of Valdina has discovered everything. She's seized the evidence proving Your Highness the Fourth Princess was behind this."
"What?!"
Reportedly, the Princess had apprehended the workers who'd released the wolf pack—and even recovered the letter containing the original orders.
Angelique panicked.
"I told you to destroy all evidence! You incompetent fool! What were you doing?!"
But it wasn't solely her subordinate's fault.
Unknown to the Fourth Princess, Jason's machinations had played a role here as well.
Jason had secretly stolen evidence of this incident, preserving it for later use as leverage against the Fourth Princess when opportunity arose.
And that evidence had been recaptured by Medea.
In this complexly tangled web of schemes where each thread strangled the others, the victor who held the final strand was Medea.
"How did that end up in the Princess's hands?! How?! Why?!"
The Fourth Princess raged helplessly. With irrefutable evidence exposed, she couldn't deny anything.
Now that the Princess—the actual victim—had discovered the truth, it was finished.
But one day passed. Then two. Then several more—and nothing happened.
Medea did not summon her. Did not denounce Angelique's crimes. Did not hold the Empire accountable.
Medea, what are you thinking? How do you plan to trap me this time?
The Fourth Princess couldn't endure the uncertainty. Didn't the Princess of Valdina already have a proven track record?
The Fourth Princess—who had fallen for Medea's provocations twice before and lost her precious relief supplies—could find no peace whatsoever.
I'd rather face confrontation than have that girl strike at me without warning.
She decided it would be better to seize the initiative herself. Unable to restrain herself any longer, she forced her way into the palace first.
"...Princess, I would like a private audience with you."
The Princess attempted to keep her voice low and composed, as though she hadn't just arrived breathless and agitated.
Yet her restless eyes scanned Medea frantically.
Medea responded with a serene smile.
"As you wish."
In the Princess's reception room, a small tea service was arranged for just the two of them.
The Fourth Princess watched the maid pour tea with a somewhat composed expression.
But beneath her gown, her feet trembled. Her hands fidgeted restlessly, repeatedly clutching and releasing the fabric of her dress.
Subtle ripples disturbed the surface of the tea in the cup on the table.
"What exactly are you scheming?"
The moment the maid departed, the Fourth Princess ground out the words through clenched teeth.
Though only the two of them remained in the room, she appeared terrified someone might overhear.
"Princess, whatever do you mean?"
"You've seized the evidence, so why haven't you said anything despite knowing the truth? Is tormenting people your hobby?!"
Without giving Medea—who feigned ignorance—time to respond, the Fourth Princess unleashed the fury she'd been suppressing.
"Well? What exactly are you planning?!"
The shrill voice sounded almost like a strangled scream.
"..."
Medea's gaze swept over the Princess's bloodshot eyes, chapped lips, and rough skin.
Unlike the Fourth Princess who typically appeared in flamboyant splendor, she seemed troubled enough to have abandoned all concern for her appearance.
"Matters will resolve themselves sooner than you think."
Medea answered as though administering medicine.
"Just moments ago, I was preparing to discuss this very issue with Sir Sessair. Now that you've arrived, the timing is perfect."
The Fourth Princess froze.
No, this cannot continue like this.
She suspected there might still be room for negotiation with Medea. If the girl had no other objectives, she wouldn't have remained silent this long.
"Princess, are you truly going through with this? The relationship between Katzen and Valdina will be ruined because of you. Can you really bear that responsibility?"
"Ah, but it's not I who must bear that burden—it's Your Highness the Princess. I'm merely the victim who knew nothing."
The Fourth Princess bit her lip, taken aback by Medea's soft retort, then crossed her arms defensively.
"Princess, you claimed you fell from a cliff and remember nothing, yet you've been actively hunting for evidence. You lied about losing your memories as well, didn't you?"
It was a subtle threat—suggesting what might happen if it were revealed the Princess had fabricated her memory loss.
Medea smiled gently.
"Fourth Princess, I don't believe you came all this way merely to debate who did what."
Medea calmly placed documents on the table.
Testimonies and personal details of witnesses proving the Fourth Princess had orchestrated the wolf pack attack.
Angelique bit her lip hard.
"Hmph... Ha! If this is exposed, will my beloved father cast me aside? Then you'll make an enemy of the entire Empire!"
Her face—chin raised defiantly as though unafraid—was saturated with pride.
You're mistaken about who holds the leash here.
Medea smiled radiantly at the Princess, whose lips curved strangely as she forced a laugh.
"Oh, the Empress Dowager—mother of the Third Prince—would know far better than I how to utilize this information."
In that instant, the Fourth Princess's complexion turned deathly pale, as though drenched in ice water.
After the First Prince—an absolute powerhouse—fell terminally ill, the Third Prince had emerged prominently in the fierce succession struggle.
He and the Fourth Princess were rivals who would gladly stab each other in the back.
Though she currently enjoyed the Emperor of Katzen's greatest favor, her position remained incomplete.
If she wasn't vigilant against her brothers who watched her hungrily, she'd be toppled in an instant.
"Is this truly the Fourth Princess's only weakness in the Empress's possession? We shall have to see whether this evidence, when combined with what she already has, becomes sufficient leverage to bring down even your maternal grandfather."
"...You—!"
"By the way, didn't the Fourth Princess involve your maternal grandfather in coordinating this relief effort? That should provide ample justification."
The Fourth Princess trembled at the gentle threat. Her very bones ached at the calculated taunt.
*"Princess, do not take this journey to Valdina lightly. You must demonstrate that the Empire's influence remains intact even without the First Prince. You must win His Majesty's heart. Do you understand what your mother is telling you?"*
The Fourth Princess recalled the counsel her mother—the Empress Dowager—had given before her departure for Valdina.
Princess Angelique's true power derived from the Empress standing behind her. If the Empress's family faction collapsed, it would become impossible for the Fourth Princess to claim the imperial throne, regardless of how much the Emperor favored her.
Angelique felt no surprise that the Princess of this small kingdom observed Katzen's current imperial power struggles as though reading an open book. She was far too busy calculating desperately in her mind.
"What do you want?!"
The nerve finally snapped. The Fourth Princess screamed, convulsing with barely controlled panic.
"Tell me! I'll give you whatever you demand!"
"Princess."
Medea's soft voice seemed designed to soothe the Fourth Princess's fraying composure.
"What if I told you there's a solution to this dilemma?"
"...Solution?"
The Fourth Princess's head snapped toward Medea, eyes sharp with desperate hope.
"I am someone precious who has fed and protected the people of Valdina. If our interests align, there's no need for me to contact the... shameless Empress Dowager."
"..."
"I cannot hide evidence that's already been exposed. Someone must shoulder the blame for releasing wolves into Valdina's hunting grounds and targeting me."
In Medea's green eyes, the Fourth Princess appeared exactly like a beast lured by bait, walking straight into a hunter's carefully prepared trap.
"However... it doesn't have to be you, Fourth Princess. You're not the only member of Katzen's delegation."
The Fourth Princess's eyes sparked with sudden comprehension.
Those eyes—filled with selfish calculation that nothing mattered so long as she avoided consequences—gleamed darkly.
Medea continued speaking as though unaware, graciously offering an escape route.
The Hook Is Set"One detail my knight discovered while investigating this case: Grand Duke Castullo knew you had brought a wolf pack to the hunting grounds—but he deliberately turned a blind eye."
"What?!"
So he knew this would happen and simply allowed it?
After allowing sufficient time for the Fourth Princess to absorb the shock, Medea cast out her next lure.
"Their relationship is so intimate that Count Raju of the delegation even lodges at the Regent's residence. And as you're aware, Count Raju—"
"—is Jason's man. He's been trying to curry favor by performing for my benefit."
The furious Fourth Princess cut off Medea's words and answered herself.
She remembered the night Samon had seduced her.
From that evening onward, the Fourth Princess had grown close enough to Samon to overlook his unrestricted access to her private chambers.
It was he who urged me to attend that hunt. Samon, you rat. He conspired with Jason to deceive me.
If Samon had heard this accusation, he would have erupted in fury, insisting it was absurd speculation—but unfortunately, he currently lay groaning in the Duke's manor, still recovering from his flogging.
The materials Medea presented to the Fourth Princess were devastatingly plausible.
When assembled together, they conveyed exactly one message.
"Jason—that damned bastard dares to use me as a stepping stone?!"
The Fourth Princess's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed with cold fury.
She grasped Jason's true intentions through the carefully arranged clues the Princess had provided.
Rage flooded the Fourth Princess's beautiful features.
She was the one who had always mocked her cousin for being gentle and cautious.
She'd never imagined the man who'd kept his head bowed all this time had actually been secretly targeting the throne from behind her back.
"What will this information cost me, Princess?"
The Fourth Princess—who had been biting her lips and swallowing her anger—now regarded Medea with deeply suspicious eyes.
"Sardinia."
"..."
"I believe that's sufficient compensation for the favor I'm extending."
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