The crown i will claim — Chapter 22

HOW DARE SHE...?!

HOW DARE SHE HUMILIATE ME LIKE THIS?!

I'LL NEVER FORGIVE HER!

SHEILA.

GIVE THIS TO MEDEA.

WHAT?

B-BUT THIS IS A ROYAL BANQUET... YOU SHOULD BE CAREFUL...

SHUT UP.

AAAH...!

SINCE WHEN DOES A DOG GIVE ORDERS TO ITS MASTER? GO. NOW.

YES... MY LADY.

VIRNA.

YOU'RE NOT ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING FOOLISH AGAIN, ARE YOU?

NOT TODAY. WE'RE ALREADY DRAWING ENOUGH ATTENTION AS IT IS.

SAMON.

RELAX. I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING.

SHE NEARLY DIED FROM THAT FALL, AND NOW SHE'S ACTING LIKE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON.

SOMEONE NEEDS TO PUT HER BACK IN HER PLACE BEFORE SHE GETS EVEN MORE FULL OF HERSELF...

I SAID, NOT TODAY.

DON'T RUSH THINGS. FATHER AND I WILL RUIN HER WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT.

SO STAY OUT OF IT AND DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID.

UGH.

HMPH

SO DRAMATIC.

IT'S NOT LIKE SHE CAN DO ANYTHING ANYWAY.

Episode 22

WELL, WHO DO WE HAVE HERE?

IF IT ISN’T HER HIGHNESS.

IT’S BEEN A WHILE, MINISTER ETIENNE. YOU SEEM TO HAVE GROWN MORE ROBUST THAN BEFORE.

HAHAHAHA, YOU FLATTER ME.

IT’S ALL... THANKS TO YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS.

IT'S RARE TO COME ACROSS A BANQUET THIS GRAND THESE DAYS. ONE SHOULD DRINK AND MAKE THE MOST OF IT.

MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY.

AS YOU SAID, THERE'S NO ROYAL IN THE PALACE WHO COULD AUTHORIZE AN EVENT LIKE THIS...

SO TELL ME, MINISTER, WHOSE APPROVAL DID YOU RECEIVE TO HOLD THIS BANQUET?

BECAUSE I CERTAINLY DON'T RECALL PUTTING MY SEAL TO IT.

PERHAPS WE SHOULD DISCUSS THIS SOMEWHERE PRIVATE, YOUR HIGHNESS.

PLEASE, COME IN, YOUR HIGHNESS.

HONESTLY, IT SEEMS THAT FOOL SISAIRE HAS BEEN FEEDING YOU NONSENSE AGAIN.

THE AFFAIRS OF THE INNER PALACE ARE DIFFICULT AND COMPLICATED.

EVERYTHING IS BEING HANDLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROPER PROCEDURE. THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOUR HIGHNESS TO TROUBLE YOURSELF WITH SUCH MATTERS.

YOU NEED ONLY SPEND YOUR DAYS READING WITH YOUR MAIDS AND YOUR EVENINGS ENJOYING BANQUETS LIKE THIS, AS YOU ALWAYS HAVE.

BRING ME THE BUDGET AND REPORT FOR TONIGHT'S BANQUET BY TOMORROW.

IF, AS YOU CLAIM, EVERYTHING WAS HANDLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROPER PROCEDURE, THERE SHOULD BE NO ISSUE.

HUH. YOU SEEM RATHER SPIRITED THESE DAYS,

BUT IN A PALACE AS VAST AS THIS, WHO CAN TRULY BE CALLED AN ALLY TO YOUR HIGHNESS?

MUST YOU TRULY PROVOKE ME SO?

YOU WOULD DO WELL NOT TO STIR THINGS UNNECESSARILY. EVEN BEASTS KNOW BETTER THAN TO WANDER WILLINGLY TOWARD THEIR OWN DEMISE.

AND IF I WERE TO MAKE A MOVE,

I WONDER WHETHER YOUR HIGHNESS WOULD CONTINUE TO SLEEP SO PEACEFULLY AT NIGHT.

MINISTER, DID YOU KNOW...

...THAT QUEZIN WAS EVERY BIT AS CONFIDENT AS YOU ARE NOW BEFORE SHE DIED?

POWER IS SUCH A FLEETING THING.

ONE DAY, A PERSON CAN HOLD THE ENTIRE PALACE IN THE PALM OF THEIR HAND... AND THE NEXT, THEY END UP IN THE DIRT.

HMPH. YOU TRULY UNDERSTAND NOTHING, YOUR HIGHNESS. DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT IDIOTIC WOMAN AND I ARE ALIKE?

SPEAKING OF WHICH,

BEFORE QUEZIN DIED, SHE TOLD ME SOMETHING RATHER INTERESTING.

SHE SAID THERE WAS A MAGGOT IN THE PALACE, ONE FAR FILTHIER AND MORE CORRUPT THAN SHE EVER WAS,

AND THAT THE ROYAL PALACE COULD NEVER FUNCTION PROPERLY UNTIL IT WAS CHASED OUT.

THIS MAGGOT, APPARENTLY,

IS SO UGLY AND PATHETIC THAT HE CANNOT EVEN PROPERLY FULFILL A MAN'S ROLE AT NIGHT...

...AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN PURGED FROM THE BLOODLINE ALTOGETHER.

SO, TO SOOTHE HIS WOUNDED PRIDE, HE TURNS TO TORMENTING THE WEAK AND VULNERABLE INSTEAD...

ARE YOU ALL RIGHT, MINISTER? YOU LOOK RATHER FLUSHED.

I-IT'S JUST A LITTLE WARM IN HERE, THAT'S ALL.

QUEZIN... I SHOULD'VE SLAUGHTERED THAT B*TCH MYSELF!

BUT I SIMPLY CAN'T MAKE SENSE OF IT AT ALL.

DO YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE ANY IDEA WHOM QUEZIN COULD HAVE BEEN REFERRING TO?

NO... YOUR HIGHNESS. I CAN'T SAY I DO...

THIS WENCH... HOW MUCH DOES SHE ACTUALLY KNOW?

THEN DO LOOK INTO IT FOR ME. AS THE PRINCESS, I FIND THE MATTER RATHER TROUBLING.

OF COURSE... LEAVE IT TO ME.

I'LL BE RELYING ON YOU, MINISTER.

A MAGGOT...? A MAGGOT...?!

HOW DARE THAT B*TCH CALL ME A MAGGOT?!

DAMN IT AAALL!

I'LL KILL HER! I'LL TEAR HER APART!!!

YOUR HIGHNESS.

GREETINGS, VALIANT PRINCESS OF BALDINA. I AM CARLO OF FASADE.

I MUST SAY, THE SPEARS OF SAINT ESTHER THAT ADORNED THE SKY EARLIER WERE TRULY REMARKABLE.

I'VE NEVER SEEN SUCH A RADIANT BLESSING OF VICTORY--

IT WAS TOO CONVENIENT TO BE CALLED A COINCIDENCE.

SINCE WHEN DOES THE WILL OF THE GODS ALIGN SO NEATLY WITH HUMAN TIMING?

WAIT A MOMENT!

WELCOME TO BALDINA, SIR CARLO.

AND THIS IS...?

MY APOLOGIES, YOUR HIGHNESS. HE'S ALWAYS HAD A HABIT OF MAKING UNNECESSARY JOKES...

THIS IS ACHARES, THE COMMANDER OF FASADE.