Chapter 7
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Sian was looking down at an object wrapped in a small cloth, her arms crossed.
…I completely forgot to ask about this.
It was what Dr. Zivago had said he removed from the prince’s body. An assassination tool made from the bone of a living dragon. A vile object that only the lowest of assassins would use.
She had learned that it wasn’t Crown Prince Hendrick who directly used the assassination tool on the prince, but the Dragon Knight Antonio. However, that didn’t resolve all the questions. The main question was whether Antonio’s attack was on Hendrick Klaus’s orders or if it was an independent action.
Although Sian had never met Hendrick Klaus, she too had heard that he was someone with great pride as a dragon master.
For such a proud heir to the empire to use an assassination tool made from a living dragon’s bone to kill his own brother… Somehow, it didn’t add up.
Of course, this wasn’t a problem she could solve by thinking about it alone. Even if she asked Prince Carlston, he probably couldn’t give a definitive answer. However, there was only one reason why she kept pondering a problem without an answer.
If that level of trash is the enemy, it would be wise to draw the line early…
The Crown Prince has money, power, and even a dragon. There’s nothing he doesn’t have. If his personality was that trashy on top of all that, there would be nothing more to consider.
If caught helping a prince falsely accused of treason, it wouldn’t end with just being displayed on the wanted list. At minimum, it could mean amputation of limbs, and at worst, her head might be hung on the city gates.
Moreover, he’s already been attacked by three dragons, right? It’s no exaggeration to say he’s made an enemy of almost the entire empire.
Even if his position as the lord of Ivarid was secure, it would be debatable whether to help him, let alone when he’s fleeing with severe injuries. Sian organized her thoughts and picked up the assassination tool that had been placed on the table.
She felt a heaviness in a corner of her heart, but Sian shook her head resolutely.
‘I should tell him to leave once he’s recovered enough to move.’
Sian used the maximum imagination she could muster to predict the situation after she said those important words. He might feel hurt, or he might get angry. But there’s no choice. Guilt is temporary, but life is long.
Suddenly, the prince’s deep, clear turquoise eyes, reminiscent of aquamarine, came to mind and held her back.
He really looks like the ideal type that popped out of my head… Where else could I see such a face? As the prince’s face flickered in her mind, a feeling of regret welled up unexpectedly.
Her steps involuntarily slowed. But Sian soon slapped her cheeks and came to her senses.
No, no. If I’m alive, I might see someone who looks like my ideal type, but if I’m executed at the city gates, I’ll never again meet anyone who even resembles my ideal type, let alone see their face. Sian made a firm resolution and straightened her slowing steps.
Then she boldly flung open the entrance to the tent where the prince was staying.
“Your Highness! I have something to say…!”
“Ah, perfect timing, Lady Sian.”
Before she could finish speaking, the prince greeted Sian verbally.
Sian blinked. The situation before her eyes was not in any of the scenarios she had imagined from A to Z in her head. In any case, all her predictions had started with the prince lying down with a deathly pale complexion, but the very first assumption was completely off.
The prince, whose complexion had improved significantly from just a few days ago, was sitting up in the makeshift bed, leaning against pillows propped high, looking neat and tidy.
“I’ve been waiting. I was about to call for you if you didn’t come.”
The prince said with a bright smile. He seemed to have completely forgotten their previous battle of wills.
“Eh…?”
Sian let out a sound like someone who had been ambushed and stabbed in the side without realizing it. While questions like ‘Waiting? For me? Why?’ filled her mind, her gaze unconsciously went to the prince’s face, which looked much more comfortable. She couldn’t help but inwardly exclaim in admiration.
A flush had risen to the prince’s white cheeks. The features that had looked like a doll’s now had life in them, making him even more pleasing to look at than before.
After seeing only rough mercenaries, seeing a young, white, and clear ideal type felt like washing away a heavily stained vision.
He’s cute when he smiles too…
And Sian, who had thought this inadvertently, shook her head vigorously as if she’d been doused with cold water.
By this point, she found herself not just dislikeable but detestable. Why on earth couldn’t she get her mind off that face…?
Anyway, this wasn’t the time for such thoughts. Sian was just taking a deep breath to gather her resolve and open her mouth to speak.
“There are some treasures gathered in Ivarid Castle.”
The prince was one step ahead. He jumped straight to the core of the matter without preamble. Sian blinked with her mouth open. Her cognitive functions were paralyzed by the sudden attack. The prince quickly read this reaction and cleared his throat.
“It’s money I had set aside for a life on the run in case something like this happened… My brother’s attack was more sudden than I expected, so I couldn’t take it with me. If you help me, I thought I might reward you with that.”
He also had a talent for making people listen intently. Although Sian was not one to be outdone in eloquence, she found herself listening to the prince’s words with her mouth still open.
‘So how much is it? Where in the castle is it?’ The words she wanted to ask hung on the tip of her tongue, but faced with the sacred face known as the grace of Ivarid, words tainted by the secular world didn’t come out easily.
“Having lived like a frog in a well, as some might say, I’m not sure exactly how large the amount is, but I think it should be enough for an ordinary person to live in luxury for at least a few years. …Ah, of course, I’m not saying this thinking that you, who ‘were’ a noble young lady, would covet wealth, so don’t misunderstand.”
The prince emphasized the past tense as he spoke. He seemed quite eager to deny Sian’s background. She was a bit irritated, but Sian held her temper well and didn’t get angry.
My ears perked up. It was the most interesting story I’d heard in years. The mercenary world had been in a slump for a long time now.
By the way, the prince’s rhetoric was quite unexpected. From our previous conversation, I had thought he wasn’t just a pushover, but now I was absolutely certain.
He lowered himself by calling himself a frog in a well, but it was merely a ploy to avoid revealing a specific amount. He knew that saying he didn’t know the amount would make me more curious.
At the same time, he was trying to pull me to his side by praising me, saying he believed I wasn’t a materialistic person obsessed with wealth.
His intentions were as clear as shallow, transparent water. I couldn’t help but chuckle at Carl’s obvious tactics. What did he take me for, thinking I’d fall for such transparent manipulation…
How did he know?
“So, what ratio did you have in mind?”
This is quite intriguing.
Sian pulled up a chair opposite the prince and sat down facing him. This was all due to the prolonged competitive intensification and job scarcity in the mercenary world. It wasn’t because she was materialistic.
Making excuses to her last shred of pride and conscience, Sian asked, and Carlston looked into her eyes with a very serious expression.
“7 to 3. I get 7, you get 3.”
“Are you joking?”
Sian’s expression turned ugly.
“The crown prince’s underlings are surely spread all over Ivarid Castle. You want me to take that risk, rush in there, and settle for just 3? Besides, we have ten of my people, and you’re alone. With such a difference in numbers, you say 7 to 3? What kind of unfair contract is this?”
Sian fired off rapidly. Carlston’s expression didn’t change. He didn’t look disappointed, flustered, or angry, as if he hadn’t expected her to take the bait from the start. It was just a card he threw out to see if she’d bite.
“Let’s start at least with 6 to 4. Of course, I get the 6. And this is already giving you a lot because you’re a prince. What if, in your eyes, it looks like a lot of wealth, but when we actually get there, it turns out to be an insignificant amount? What then?”
At those words, Carlston’s eyes wavered a bit. He seemed slightly flustered as the “I don’t know how much it is” ploy he had laid down to draw Sian in was now working against him.
“No, I assure you, it’s not such a small amount. Moreover, considering the number of people, it would be right for you to take more, but I have higher maintenance costs. I’m a prince, you know?”
See that? His pettiness was reaching the sky. The prince was arguing for his own incentive. Sian snorted with genuine derision.
“If we’re going by that logic, I was born into nobility too. Anyway, as long as we’re being chased by three dragons, neither of us can go back to where we were. No, come to think of it, this is ridiculous. What are you, a peacock? Do you have dates to go on, flaunting your feathers in all directions? If we’re talking about maintenance costs, as a woman, mine would be much higher than… Don’t talk nonsense.”
“…But I have expensive taste in food, so my food expenses are high…”
The prince muttered quietly with a face that had no comeback to Sian’s words. “I eat a lot too, you know?” Sian didn’t miss even his muttering and bit back. He suddenly stopped arguing and stared blankly at Sian. Then, as if he had understood something, he nodded up and down.
What? What did he understand? Did he just conclude on his own that I look like I eat a lot? Sian let out another snort of disbelieving laughter.
“Alright. Then let’s agree on a fair 5 to 5 split. I can’t back down any further than that.”
midori
thanks. hm, i sure hope those treasures actually exist. i wouldn’t put it past him to lie entirely about the treasures LAWL