Chapter 31
“Money!”
“It’s money!”
The mercenary group Dragon’s Claw gathered at a small inn in Ivarid, creating an uproar filled with joy.
“Shh. Someone might hear and come up.”
Sian, standing behind them with a satisfied expression, raised her index finger to her lips to quiet the men’s boisterous cheers.
“Oh right, we were careless. Shh, shh, shh.”
Even trying to be quiet, the mercenary men were a ruckus. They all covered their mouths and trembled with emotion, slapping each other’s backs to keep quiet while making all sorts of noise.
On the bed lay piles of gold coins, gold bullion that hadn’t been exchanged for currency, and treasures that looked valuable even at a glance.
“Is this all His Highness the Prince’s personal wealth? It’s incredible.”
Even Max, known as the most composed and calm member of Dragon’s Claw, couldn’t hide his excitement at the unprecedented sum before him.
“And this isn’t even all of it,” Sian said, glancing at Carl sitting in a chair. After descending the spiral staircase, they had entered a shabby room that led to a veritable treasure trove.
Sian recalled the space filled with so much gold, jewels, and valuables that it was almost blinding. There was so much wealth that it felt surreal rather than joyous. They couldn’t even carry it all, so this was just what Sian and Carl had managed to pack and bring.
Carl, who had been smiling contentedly, twisted one corner of his mouth into an arrogant smirk.
“I told you, didn’t I? Enough to live off for three generations.”
“Who knew such a hothouse flower would be so precise with calculations?”
Carl laughed heartily at Sian’s words.
“I’m just glad the reward exceeded expectations, but I never want to experience such a crisis again,” Sian said with a shudder.
The tension when the loud noise came from moving the bed was still vivid, as if it had just happened. Not to mention how flustered she had been when she had to hide under the bed and feel Carl’s breath right in front of her face.
Sian shook her head, finally shaking off the emotions from the difficult situations as she carefully recalled the events at Ivarid Castle.
“For now, let’s eat and drink well today. And tomorrow, we’ll finalize the contract for sure,” Sian said to Carl, but it was the other mercenaries who got excited.
“Sister, can we eat meat?”
“Expensive alcohol!”
Bill and Skull shouted solemnly as if facing a momentous event. Sian smiled gently at them.
“You’re free to eat whatever you want.”
“Hooray!” The men cheered.
“But just know I’ll deduct it from your share,” Sian added, smiling like an angel while delivering her cold statement. The men’s shoulders slumped.
‘We should have known,’ the men’s expressions seemed to shout in unison.
“Alright, dismissed. I’ll tidy up here and join you later, so head to the dining room first,” Sian said, waving off the men who were silently protesting with their expressions.
The mercenaries, including Max and Bill, filed out of the room in a group. Sian watched their retreating backs through the open doorway.
“…?”
Carl, occupying the chair in the inn room, rested his chin on his hand and watched the departing men just like Sian. He showed no signs of intending to leave.
“Aren’t you going, Carl?”
“Should I go too?” Carl pointed at himself with wide eyes when Sian asked.
“You should, shouldn’t you? This is my room after all.”
“Ah, right. Was it?” Carl replied, scratching his ear. Sian’s expression turned sulky.
Why is he pretending not to know? He clearly knows everything.
If he had something else to say, he wouldn’t be playing dumb so shamelessly. He must be planning to pull another trick.
“What are you up to now, dawdling like this?”
“My, my, ‘dawdling’ for a prince?”
“You are dawdling. You’ve practically become one with that chair.”
Sian looked Carl up and down as he sat askew in the chair. Carl smiled faintly, resting his chin on the table and leaning back languidly.
…What’s with that subtly seductive expression and pose?
Sian narrowed her eyes. Was it just her imagination that he seemed to be trying to find the most attractive angle to present to her gaze?
“…Actually, I have something to say,” Carl said, straightening his posture. Sian was certain then that her suspicion wasn’t a mere delusion. How else could she explain Carl’s surreal beauty that would make anyone reply “Yes” no matter what he said?
It’s strange how you can get used to an ugly face after seeing it for a while, but no matter how often you see a handsome face, you never get used to it.
“What is it?” Sian asked grumpily, while pondering this internally.
“It’s about this,” Carl said, pulling something out. Sian tilted her head curiously. In the hand not supporting his chin, Carl held a familiar-looking paper.
…The contract?
Just as Sian realized what the paper was, Carl spoke.
“How about renewing it? Or even re-contracting would be fine.”
He was desperately employing his charms like a peacock in heat. Sian’s eyebrow twitched at Carl’s proposal.
It wasn’t an entirely unexpected move. In fact, she was half-certain he would approach it this way.
She just hadn’t expected him to bring it up so quickly.
“Well…” Although she had already made up her mind, Sian pretended to consider, crossing her arms.
“Isn’t it too early to discuss renewal or re-contracting when we’ve just finished the job and returned?”
Sian smiled like an innocent girl who knew nothing, clasping her hands together tightly. But Carl wasn’t one to fall for that.
Leaning in to show off the left side of his face, which seemed to emphasize his handsomeness, Carl raised an eyebrow slightly.
“You’re planning to leave tomorrow morning, aren’t you? Important talks should happen right away.”
…How did he know?
Sian’s smile vanished instantly at Carl’s response, which seemed to read her mind.
“Tch. How did you know I was planning to leave tomorrow morning?”
“It’s obvious. They’ll soon notice two female mercenaries missing from the castle. It would be troublesome if anyone got curious about the circumstances. When you cause trouble, fleeing without looking back is basic protocol, isn’t it?”
Sian was left speechless at Carl’s astute observation. With nothing to say, she could only smack her lips uselessly. Sian awkwardly scratched behind her ear.
“If you predicted that far, I guess you know how I’ll respond too.”
“You’ll refuse?”
Carl asked, his expression now matching Sian’s blank one. Sian silently pulled at the corner of her mouth.
It was obvious.
“What if I put up my share of all this as collateral?” Carl gestured with his chin toward the pile of treasure on the bed. Even that wasn’t unexpected. Sian smiled leisurely.
“Who do you take me for, a woman obsessed with money? I don’t covet wealth I can’t handle. Even just a tenth of my sixth share of that is more than enough.”
“…Wasn’t it you who insisted on adding a special clause about forfeiting territory if the contract wasn’t fulfilled?”
Carl narrowed his eyes at Sian. She couldn’t help but avert her gaze from his piercing stare.
“That was before I knew how much was hidden in the secret vault.”
Ahem, Sian cleared her throat unnecessarily before continuing.
“What’s there is already enough to live comfortably for years. I’ll pass on any more risks.”
Carl clicked his tongue lightly at Sian’s response, wrinkling his nose bridge. Then he sighed deeply, furrowing his brow.
“Why are you so unnecessarily practical? Looking at you, sometimes I think you’re materialistic, but you only desire up to a certain point, Sister.”
“Greed is the most excellent element for ruining a person. My goal is to go far steadily.”
“So you won’t covet more wealth, or me?”
Carl spoke without changing his expression. Sian thought her ears must be playing tricks on her. Her face contorted oddly.
“I can understand the wealth part, but why are ‘you’ included?”
“Why indeed.”
Carl raised one eyebrow.
“…It’s a bit much to say it myself, so put your hand on your heart and think carefully.”
“Oh my, no matter how much I put my hand on my heart and think, I don’t understand?!”
“What a woman without conscience.”
Carl retorted with a sulky face, as if offended. Sian snorted lightly.
“You’re just as conscienceless, keep bringing up re-contracting when I said let’s stop. Just because I was a bit smitten by your handsome face, should everyone throw caution to the wind and follow you like a moth to a flame, disregarding reality and threats?”
“Of course not. That’s why I’m proposing re-contracting with appropriate compensation, isn’t it? Very realistically. Like a smart negotiator.”
“I’m really sick of your self-praise… What’s gotten into you?”
Sian frowned with a disgusted expression at Carl’s shameless words.
“I’m sorry, but right now you’re neither realistic nor a smart negotiator. I told you last time, didn’t I? I don’t do things that hurt myself based on momentary emotions.”
“Whether it will hurt you or give you wings, no one can know for sure.”
“Oh, aren’t you confident.”
Sian twisted the corner of her mouth mockingly at Carl’s glib remark.
“Anyway, I don’t want to embark on any more reckless adventures. And I don’t want to get entangled with Your Highness on a more personal level either.”
Sian cut off her words decisively and turned away. Or rather, she was about to turn away when Carl firmly grasped her arm and turned her back to face him.
“Why?”
The languid atmosphere, like that of a lazy cat, had vanished without a trace. Carl, who had somehow stood up and grabbed Sian’s arm, had a rather desperate emotion clinging to his handsome face.
The moment Sian faced Carl, she unconsciously furrowed her brow.
Her captured arm hurt. There was no restraint in the male’s grip strength, the same strength that had effortlessly lifted the heavy bed that had been difficult to even budge.
Sian looked down at her throbbing arm with a frown. She conveyed her pain through her gaze, but what she received in return was neither an apology nor relief from the pain.
Carl gripped Sian’s wrist even tighter. The veins on the back of Carl’s hand, wrapped around her wrist, stood out quite desperately.
midori
thanks! whew, they did it successfully! um, lol, him trying to get a good posture to show off his beauty and entice her to continue contracting with him