Chapter 8
The prince spoke in the tone of a stereotypical negotiator. Sian habitually pouted her lips. It was clear that he had been aiming for a 5 to 5 split from the beginning.
“It’s a lie that you don’t know how much you’ve collected, right? Someone as meticulous as you, who even prepared for the possibility of having to flee, wouldn’t have just blindly collected money without a proper target amount. You’re not a crow…”
Sian asked frankly, crossing her arms. At those words, Carlston’s formal smile deepened genuinely.
“Well, it’s not much. Just enough to live comfortably for about three generations, even if I end up wandering with just my life intact.”
“Considering you’ve calculated maintenance costs by your own standards, it must be quite a substantial amount.”
“It depends on where you set the standard, but at the very least, it should be enough for my future wife to live without want as the wife of a former prince.”
That’s saying he prepared an enormous amount. The fact that he couldn’t state an exact amount and instead used vague terms like “to some extent” seemed to be not because he didn’t know, but because the amount was too large to easily count. Sian pulled at the corners of her mouth.
“Alright. 5 to 5. I’ll trust Your Highness’s word regarding the total amount to be divided.”
“Then is the deal settled?”
“Not yet. What about the down payment?”
As Sian said that, a shadow suddenly fell over the prince’s face, which had been smiling. The prince, looking dumbfounded, let out a dry laugh.
“How can you ask for a separate down payment when we’re already splitting 5 to 5 the money I’ve collected with such effort?”
“Then what am I supposed to trust when I enter that minefield of a castle? If something goes wrong, all this talk of 5 to 5 will be meaningless.”
“If you put it that way, it’s the same for all jobs. If things go wrong, down payment or not, it’s all useless. Shouldn’t we focus more on how to successfully complete the mission rather than preparing for failure?”
“Oh my, that’s such a frog-in-a-well thing to say. Of course, I’ll give it my all. But not everything in the world goes as planned, right? In case something happens, even if I’m in danger, the survivors should at least have a few coins to return home with. Don’t you have at least some noble acquaintances who could repay on your behalf even if something happens to you? Can’t you write some kind of IOU in the name of Carlston Klaus, Third Prince? Even if you’ve been exiled, you’re still a prince. Don’t you have at least that much of a network?”
The prince let out a hollow laugh.
“I’ve been framed for the assassination of the Dragon King. If you were in their shoes, would you help?”
“Are you saying you don’t know anyone except idiots who would believe that story at face value?”
The atmosphere turned hostile. Both Sian and the prince seemed increasingly irritated, their tones full of displeasure. Naturally, the conversation was degenerating into an argument.
It was Prince Carlston who first broke the irritation-filled flow of conversation. He didn’t answer Sian’s sharp question. He just stared into Sian’s eyes as if something had occurred to him.
“Come to think of it, you.”
“Stop calling me ‘you’ all the time. I have a name, you know.”
“Alright, Lady Sian.”
“…Drop the ‘Lady’ too.”
Why are my ears so itchy? Sian rubbed her ear and pouted her lips at the unfamiliar form of address.
“Okay. Then, Sian.”
The prince changed his form of address obediently as his attitude shifted. Sian inwardly exclaimed, “Ah.” She suddenly realized why her ears had become so itchy – it was due to the change in the prince’s manner of speaking.
Her ears, unaccustomed to the low and smooth tone of the man who had transformed from a negotiator to a high-ranking prince, were reporting an odd sensation.
“Do you believe me?”
Sian narrowed her eyes at the prince’s follow-up question, as if to say, “What are you talking about?”
“Are we already close enough to discuss trust?”
When Sian asked, the prince remained silent for a moment instead of answering.
“Of course not, but…”
Then, as if making a strange expression, he trailed off, fumbling with the words he had struggled to say. Sian blinked, waiting for the rest, but the prince soon clicked his tongue lightly and changed the subject.
“…The atmosphere inside Ivarid Castle might not be so peaceful. My brother’s people might already be in position.”
“…”
“At the time, everyone in Ivarid was on my side, but I don’t know how it is now.”
The prince added. Sian stared at him blankly.
While expressing doubt about the loyalty of those who had been on his side, the prince didn’t seem particularly gloomy. His tone was just matter-of-fact, as if warning of danger, which seemed quite awkward to Sian.
It was hard to tell whether he was used to it, or just skilled at hiding his true feelings. Also, why he was giving unnecessary warnings.
“I’m not naive enough not to know that. I’ll take it as a warning to be fully prepared.”
Although she wasn’t sure of his exact intentions, Sian readily accepted the prince’s hint. The prince, who had been looking into Sian’s eyes for a moment, suddenly pulled at the corners of his mouth.
“Good. That’s reassuring.”
It was a pure smile. Without any sense of wariness or probing, it was a transparent smile that made Sian unconsciously purse her lips.
There wasn’t a hint of deception in his words about feeling reassured. The honest sincerity made her feel strangely uncomfortable.
‘…It’s just common flattery.’
Sian thought. He probably just said it without much thought. Even though she knew this, Sian couldn’t understand why her heart was racing or why her mood was sinking in such a peculiar way.
“Well, let’s summarize. The primary goal of our temporary alliance is to retrieve Your Highness’s private funds from Ivarid.”
The prince’s smile disappeared at Sian’s words, which she had uttered to calm her complicated feelings.
“…That expression, ‘private funds,’ sounds a bit off…”
“Why?”
Sian’s eyes widened.
“It’s not wealth accumulated for personal gain or through illegal means, so let’s just agree to call it personal property.”
Ahem, the prince cleared his throat and carefully began.
“If it’s money that only you know about and no one else does, it’s private funds, isn’t it?”
“…”
When Sian grumbled, the prince’s gaze sharpened. Under the silent pressure, Sian slightly furrowed her brow and waved her hand dismissively.
“Ah, okay, okay. Then, with the goal of retrieving Your Highness’s personal property.”
“Carlston.”
“Pardon?”
Just as they were about to wrap up the conversation, another interruption came. Sian puffed out her lips at the prince’s sudden self-introduction.
“From now on, forget about calling me ‘Your Highness.’ You can call me Carlston, or Carl.”
“Uh… But.”
“In this empire, there might be dozens of people named Carl, but only two who can be called ‘Your Highness.'”
The prince, Carl, who had at some point propped his chin on his hand, looked straight at Sian.
“Ah…” Sian unconsciously let out a meaningless sound.
He was right. Only two people could be called “Your Highness” – the Second Prince Gerriot Klaus and the Third Prince Carlston Klaus.
If she called him “Your Highness” outside like she had been doing, it would be like putting up a signpost saying, “Here is the prince accused of assassinating the Dragon King.”
“…Then Carlston, no, Carl.”
Sian tried out the permitted name quite cautiously. Although she understood the reason, it wasn’t easy for someone who was just a mere mercenary to address a prince by name.
“Yes.”
The response came readily, very willingly, to the name that had been uttered as if under threat.
Sian unconsciously furrowed her brow slightly. The prince, no, Carl, had tilted his head slightly and was wearing a calm smile on his face.
“Dr. Zivago. I think I’m not feeling well. Can you take a look at me?”
The mercenaries were in the middle of their meal, huddled together. At Sian’s sudden words, the men simultaneously froze as if they had rehearsed it.
“You’re not feeling well?”
“You, sis?”
“…Oh my…”
Exclamations of disbelief erupted from everywhere, with no one taking the lead.
“Everyone, shut up. This is a sign that calamity is about to befall the empire.”
Dr. Zivago stood up abruptly with a solemn face, mediating the terrible confusion. Sian’s expression turned sour.
“Me feeling a bit under the weather is a calamity-level event for the empire?”
She was completely dumbfounded. What on earth did these people take her for?
“No, that’s not what I meant. Your existence is such a significant center of gravity for our mercenary group… Well, something like that…”
“Center of gravity, my foot.”
When Sian coldly shot back, Dr. Zivago, left speechless, laughed awkwardly.
“Well then, sis, let’s talk as we go to my tent. You’re not feeling well… What are your symptoms? Cough? Fever? Swelling?”
Dr. Zivago, who had adopted a clerk-like attitude to change the subject, gently led Sian to his tent. Sian crossed her arms and glared mercilessly at Dr. Zivago.
“None of that. It’s just that my heart keeps pounding for no reason, and I don’t know why, so it’s strange.”
“Your chest?”
midori
thanks! ok, both leads are dumbos….now what??