YOUR HIGHNESS,
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS DISGRACEFUL CONDUCT?
MADAM QUEZIN!
SHE APPEARED AS IF SHE'D BEEN EXPECTING ME.
HEAD MAID QUEZIN.
BY ACTING AS MY UNCLE'S PROXY ALONGSIDE THE MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS,
SHE SITS IN A POSITION THAT GIVES HER FULL AUTHORITY OVER THE INNER PALACE DESPITE BEING WHOLLY UNQUALIFIED.
SHE'S A VILE WOMAN WHO SOUGHT TO BRAND ME A FRIVOLOUS PRINCESS...
...AND ISOLATE ME BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.
YOU'VE ONLY JUST WOKEN AFTER YOUR FALL.
YOU SHOULD BE RESTING IN YOUR ROOM.
I'LL HAVE A COUPLE OF MAIDS ESCORT YOU BACK.
QUICKLY NOW. TAKE HER HIGHNESS TO HER CHAMBERS.
QUEZIN, IT SEEMS MY MAID WAS PUNISHED WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE.
A WHIPPING WITHOUT SO MUCH AS AN INQUIRY?
WHEN DID THE ROYAL PALACE BECOME THIS RECKLESS?
YOUR HIGHNESS,
I'M HURT TO HEAR YOU SAY THAT.
NERIL NOT ONLY FAILED IN HER DUTY TO SERVE YOU PROPERLY, BUT SHE ALSO ALLOWED YOU TO BE INJURED.
IF ANYTHING, A WHIPPING IS A RATHER LENIENT PUNISHMENT.
I MERELY FULFILLED MY DUTIES AS A DEVOTED SERVANT OF BALDINA.
MY... FORGIVE ME. IT SEEMS I NEED TO WORK ON BEING MORE PATIENT.
YOUR HIGHNESS IS STILL YOUNG, AFTER ALL, AND STILL LEARNING HOW THINGS ARE DONE HERE.
NOW THEN, ESCORT THE PRINCESS BACK TO HER ROOM.
THE MORE I LISTEN, THE LESS SENSE YOU MAKE.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
TO SERVE BALDINA IS TO SERVE HIS MAJESTY THE KING.
AMONG THE MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY CARRYING BALDINA'S BLOOD,
INCLUDING MY GRANDMOTHER, THE ROYAL QUEEN DOWAGER, AND MY UNCLE, DUKE CLAUDIO,
YOUR LOYALTY LIES WITH HIS MAJESTY ONLY, DOES IT NOT?
WELL, ISN’T THAT A GIVEN?
WHY IS MADAM QUEZIN HESITATING TO ANSWER SUCH A SIMPLE QUESTION?
DAMN IT!!
THE LORD PROTECTOR TRUSTS ABSOLUTELY NO ONE.
THERE MIGHT EVEN BE ONE OF HIS SPIES AMONG US RIGHT NOW.
IF I ADMIT MY LOYALTY TO HIS MAJESTY HERE, HE MIGHT--
WAS THAT A DIFFICULT QUESTION?
OF COURSE NOT. I WAS SIMPLY CAUGHT OFF GUARD THAT YOU WOULD EVEN ASK SUCH A QUESTION.
MY MASTER IS, OF COURSE, HIS MAJESTY, KING PELEUS.
THAT'S RIGHT, AS IT SHOULD BE.
SO THEN WHY ARE YOU MISTREATING THE MAID HE ASSIGNED TO ME?
DO YOU TRULY BELIEVE SHE IS TO BLAME FOR MY ACCIDENT?
CAN YOU SWEAR IT UPON YOUR LOYALTY TO YOUR ONE AND ONLY MASTER,
HIS MAJESTY THE KING?
THAT INSOLENT WENCH...!!
Episode 3
I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO HER,
BUT I'LL HAVE TO REMIND HER OF HER PLACE.
WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, I FAIL TO SEE WHY THIS CONVERSATION IS NECESSARY.
YOU MAY SHARE HIS MAJESTY'S BLOOD, BUT YOU ARE NOT MY MASTER.
FURTHERMORE,
I REMEMBER ALL TOO WELL...
...THE QUEEN DOWAGER'S CRIES OF GRIEF AT THE LATE KING'S FUNERAL.
THIS IS YOUR FAULT!
MY SON IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!
THE ENTIRE KINGDOM MOURNED HIS DEATH,
AS DID I.
IF NOT FOR YOU, NONE OF THAT SORROW WOULD HAVE COME TO PASS,
AND I WOULD STILL BE SERVING THE LATE KING...
...INSTEAD OF BEING FORCED TO PUNISH A PALACE MAID LIKE THIS.
AND YET, EVEN THOUGH IT’S PAINFULLY CLEAR WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LATE KING’S TRAGIC FATE,
YOU DARE TO ACT AS THOUGH YOU ARE THE MASTER OF THIS PALACE,
WHEN YOU HOLD YOUR POSITION ONLY BY THE GRACE OF YOUR BROTHER, THE KING.
THE QUEEN DOWAGER DESPISES HER, AS DOES THE KING.
WHY ELSE WOULD HE NOT HAVE VISITED HER SINCE TAKING THE THRONE?
DON'T JUST STAND THERE. CARRY ON WITH THE PUNISHMENT!
Y-YES, MADAM QUEZIN!
HAH...
YOUR HIGHNESS...
QUEZIN,
COME HERE AND LIFT YOUR SKIRT.
WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?
I'LL RESPECT YOUR AUTHORITY AND NOT INTERFERE WITH HOW YOU PUNISH NERIL.
THAT SAID, THIS SHOULD BE QUITE A SIGHT.
YOU DISCIPLINE NERIL,
AND I WILL DISCIPLINE YOU.
YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY MEAN TO STRIKE ME WITH THAT...!
"IF A SERVANT OF THE ROYAL PALACE FAILS TO FULFILL THEIR DUTIES,
THE KING MAY PUNISH THEM."
AND IN THE KING'S ABSENCE,
THAT AUTHORITY FALLS UNDER THE REPRESENTATIVE HE APPOINTED.
DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS? IT'S THE KING'S SEAL THAT MY BROTHER ENTRUSTED TO ME.
ABSURD! I'VE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING LIKE THAT!
WHEN THE LATE KING WAS AWAY AT WAR,
THE LORD PROTECTOR ENFORCED THIS CLAUSE TO IMPOSE SEVERE PUNISHMENTS WITHIN THE PALACE.
SURELY YOU KNEW THAT... OR MUST I EXPLAIN THAT TO YOU AS WELL?
MY GOODNESS, QUEZIN. YOU SEEM TO KNOW FAR LESS THAN YOU LET ON.
NOW LIFT YOUR SKIRT.
YOUR HIGHNESS!!!
I SAID NOW.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, JENNA? CONTINUE WHIPPING NERIL.
SHE WOULDN'T DARE.
SHE KNOWS BETTER THAN ANYONE...
...WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF SHE CROSSES ME.
NOT UNLESS SHE'S TRULY GONE MAD--
AAAGH!!
GET UP, QUEZIN.
WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN.
W-WAIT...!
YOUR HIGHNESS, WHY DID YOU DO THAT?
DON'T STRAIN YOURSELF. LEAN ON ME.
TH-THANK YOU.
YOUR HIGHNESS, THE HEAD MAID CONTROLS THIS PALACE.
SHE WILL TRY TO RETALIATE AGAINST YOU. I--
HNG... I NEED TO GO BACK AND MAKE THIS RIGHT--
I'M SORRY.
YOUR HIGHNESS...?
IT'S ALL MY FAULT. BECAUSE OF ME, YOU...
IN MY PAST LIFE, NERIL DIDN'T LEAVE THE PALACE.
SHE WAS BEATEN TO DEATH FOR REFUSING TO LEAVE MY SIDE.
HIC... YOU USED TO BE A KNIGHT.
WHY DIDN'T YOU DEFEND YOURSELF?
HOW DID I FAIL TO SEE THAT THERE WAS SOMEONE IN THIS VAST PALACE WHO TRULY CARED FOR ME?
WHY DIDN’T I REALIZE THAT PELEUS WAS PROTECTING ME?
I WON'T LET ANYONE DO THIS TO YOU AGAIN.
I PROMISE.
THE NEXT DAY, BALDINA CAPITAL, DISTRICT 2
BOSS!
YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED AT THE BALDINA ROYAL PALACE!
WORD IS THAT THE PRINCESS CANED THE HEAD MAID!
APPARENTLY, THE HEAD MAID TRIED TO THROW OUT ONE OF THE PRINCESS'S MAIDS.
THAT MAID WAS AN APPRENTICE OF THE COMMANDER OF THE ROYAL GUARD, WHICH IS PROBABLY WHY THE LORD PROTECTOR HAS IT OUT FOR HER.
ANYWAY, THE HEAD MAID HAD THE POOR GIRL WHIPPED, AND THE PRINCESS STRUCK HER RIGHT BACK!
THEY SAY THAT THE HEAD MAID COLLAPSED AFTER BEING STRUCK ONCE. THE PRINCESS OF BALDINA MUST HAVE ONE HELL OF AN ARM!
BALDINA... HAS A PRINCESS?
To be continued
The Princess confronts Head Maid Quezin for having her maid Neril whipped without investigation. She says Quezin runs the inner palace as if she were her uncle the regent's deputy, questions her loyalty, and seizes authority with the seal entrusted to her by the king. She has Quezin beaten with a stick in return for punishing Neril. She then embraces the wounded Neril, sheds tears for failing to protect her in her past life, and vows never to allow it again.
