Unleashed
"Every monster reveals itself eventually."
Soon, Etienne burst into laughter—as though he'd finally understood a joke.
"It seems someone's been filling your head with marketplace gossip. You know, young people can be more old-fashioned than folks in their eighties. You're desperately trying to find fault where there is none—"
"Minister."
Medea raised her hand.
She cut him off decisively, as though there were no need to waste time on useless words.
"I asked you a question."
The smile gradually faded from the Minister's jovial face.
The young Princess who'd once been so easy to interrupt—so eager to please—had vanished.
"Your Highness, I handle all the difficult, complicated work. There's no need for you to worry."
Dark eyes between drooping lids flashed like those of a poisonous toad.
"You just need to enjoy yourself every day. Read books. Draw pictures. Attend parties like this with your maids. Just as you always have."
"Is that your answer?"
Medea's lips curved upward.
They pretend to serve her, but in reality, they're rudely dismissing the Princess entirely.
"Yes. You don't need to concern yourself at all. Everything is proceeding naturally and according to proper procedure."
"Then please bring me the budget and expenditure report for today's banquet by tomorrow morning. Since you followed proper procedure, there shouldn't be any issues."
The Minister's expression stiffened considerably.
She'd tolerated his rudeness up to this point—but what was she saying now?
"There are no problems, so why would you want to see them? It's just tedious number-crunching."
"Wouldn't Sir Siseo be curious? About how this massive banquet—which neither he nor I approved—came to be held in this palace?"
The hand holding his champagne glass froze.
Angry, wide eyes darted around, scanning both inside and outside the banquet hall.
A smile returned to his face as he identified a suitable location.
He needed to put this upstart Princess in her place—somewhere people couldn't see.
The Private Chamber
"Just a moment... perhaps we could sit somewhere more private and discuss this?"
"Of course."
Etienne led the Princess to a small room at the end of the banquet hall.
The door closed behind them.
Etienne's servant delivered his drink and withdrew, shutting the door.
Only Medea and the Minister remained in the enclosed space.
"Whew, Your Highness..."
Etienne let out a slow breath as he loosened the cravat strangling his thick neck.
He seemed quite angry.
"Are you going to give me your answer now? If not, I'll ask my grandmother instead."
Etienne approached Medea, running his hand through his hair.
"Oh, Your Highness. Do you truly not understand the situation?"
He looked down at the Princess with beady eyes, exuding the menace of a hunter threatening a young prey.
"Who in this vast palace will truly be on your side? What's it worth? The Queen Dowager? If I so much as lift a finger, do you think Your Highness will have a peaceful night?"
His voice dripped with mockery.
"The only people beside you are servants. The nobles despise your lineage. If some... accident were to befall you, who would truly wish to protect you?"
A clear threat. Oppressive presence. An ominous voice.
The sight of an old man threatening a very young girl was truly reprehensible.
After setting down the cup she'd been holding on the railing, Medea smiled and crossed her arms.
"I'm sorry, but thanks to my war-torn past life, your threats are worthless to me."
"That remains to be seen. But do you know something? Quiggin said the exact same thing."
Etienne stiffened.
"Power is as light as flipping one's palm. Your position could vanish overnight. Just like it did for that maid."
Etienne glared at her, unable to contain his rage.
Was she putting him—the Minister of the Interior of an entire kingdom—on the same level as a head maid who'd foolishly attacked her and disappeared into dust long ago?
Did she think his power was comparable to that of a mere head maid?
"Am I the same as that woman? Will Your Highness survive in this palace without my help? An idiot thinks everything's fine as long as they keep their mouth shut."
"Is that so? I will definitely remember your words."
"Good. I hope you keep them in mind."
The Princess smiled at what sounded like his final stand.
But she still had a second dose of poison to administer to the toad.
"Speaking of which, Quiggin said something strange to me before she died."
Though the Minister felt uncomfortable, he asked without hesitation.
"What nonsense did that shameless woman spout?"
"She said there are maggots in the palace—creatures dirtier and more foul-smelling than her. She told me I must root them out for the palace to function properly."
His thick hands trembled as he struggled to control his fury.
"But these maggots? They were so ugly they couldn't even mate properly. They were eliminated from the species altogether—let alone find partners."
She paused, looking concerned.
"So, in order to rebuild their shattered pride, they torture weak, defenseless creatures. Minister, are you all right? Your face is very red."
"The room... perhaps it's too warm inside. Please, continue."
The Minister's chin trembled as he forced a smile.
"I should have slaughtered her before she died."
He never imagined Quiggin had been spouting such vile slander behind his back.
His eyes landed on a nearby glass.
Without further thought, the Minister grabbed it and drained it in one gulp.
As the cold liquid slid down his throat, the heat inside seemed to abate slightly.
"But I truly wonder—the Minister has been in this palace for so long. Can you guess who Quiggin was referring to?"
"Well... I don't know either..."
He said slowly, dragging out his words.
He stared at the Princess standing before him.
That girl. What does she actually know? Why is she talking like this?
There was no cloudiness in her clear eyes, so Etienne couldn't be certain how much the Princess truly understood.
"I will make certain to remember and investigate Your Highness's concerns. Managing the palace is my sacred duty."
"Of course. I'll trust in the Minister's diligence."
Medea smiled graciously.
"If that's settled, I'll take my leave..."
The Corridor
The Minister stormed out of the room and strode away from the banquet hall with furious steps.
With each footfall, steam seemed to rise from his head.
Only when he reached a small antechamber in the hallway—hidden from prying eyes—did he unleash his belated rage.
"Damn her!"
CRASH!
"If she weren't royalty, I'd bite her throat out right here! How dare she spout such nonsense! Maggots? MAGGOTS?!"
The Minister, huffing and puffing, snatched the bottle of liquor from his attending servant's hand and swallowed it in one savage gulp.
"It's lukewarm! You stupid bastard! You incompetent fool! Can't even get the temperature right?!"
Rough, unreasonable outbursts of anger poured forth.
"I'm sorry, Master. Please forgive me."
Umberto murmured, head bowed.
The Minister wheezed, holding the bottle upside down to his mouth as though blowing a trumpet.
Only as the pungent alcohol burned down his throat did the rising heat seem to subside somewhat.
Meanwhile, Umberto—who'd collapsed helplessly from Etienne's kick—cleaned up the debris his master had left behind.
He recalled the mysterious instructions he'd received days ago.
[When the time comes, release the toad... onto the market.]
"The market? When?"
Umberto had sent another message seeking clarification, but contact had been lost after that.
Only now did Umberto realize—the day the note referenced was tonight.
A small medicine vial rattled in his pocket.
The note had also instructed him to mix it with alcohol and have Etienne consume it during the banquet.
The vial contained ingredients designed to maximize the effects of the scented candles.
Umberto, unaware of this detail, had faithfully carried out the instructions.
"By 'market,' they meant this banquet hall—where everyone can see."
Umberto glanced at the Minister, who was guzzling drinks like a madman.
"He used to control his filthy nature in public."
"But today, after meeting the Princess, he got completely drunk and seems to have forgotten where he is."
"Is this the aftereffect of those scented candles?"
Though Umberto had served at his side for several years, Etienne had never succumbed to even the slightest provocation before.
It seemed whoever was behind that mysterious note truly intended to destroy Etienne completely.
"If he acts like this in front of so many people..."
Social annihilation. His reputation—everything—will be destroyed.
"What are you doing, still standing there?! We're out of alcohol! Bring more, you bastard!"
The Minister hurled a stone statue at him.
He shouldn't have wasted concern on a creature like this.
Umberto decided to stop thinking about his master's welfare.
"Yes, of course, Master. I'll go down to the kitchen immediately and order cold drinks and sweet refreshments."
He bowed obsequiously until the very last moment before leaving.
And instead of closing the door properly, he left it slightly ajar.
So the toad could be released at any moment.
As Umberto walked down the cold corridor, he couldn't hide his sense of anticipation.
How dirty and enraged he'd felt serving this filthy bastard.
The Oak Tree — Outside
"Ha..."
As the Princess departed, a hidden observer who'd been watching the scene from a tree outside the banquet hall finally exhaled.
"Is she really like that? The Princess of Valdina is truly fearless. She's so small—how does she not flinch even once?"
Gallo whispered.
Cesare said nothing.
"Anyway, Valdina's court discipline is absolute shit. The Regent, the Minister—they're all just thinking about devouring the Princess together."
"Shh."
As Gallo continued talking, Cesare raised his index finger to his lips.
The toad drinks poison.
The door stands open.
And the watcher in the tree sees everything.
To Be Continued
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