I Was Hired by the Black-Minded Prince for My Life's Ransom - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 19. All the pieces are already in place
It was cold. And parched.
Rive Reta’s heart thundered at the voice—so drained of emotion it felt almost alien.
‘Surely not….’
No. Don’t jump to conclusions yet.
A single word could put everything at risk.
Rive Reta glanced around her.
As if the world itself were conspiring in her favor, there wasn’t a single guard posted at the door today.
A gift from heaven.
She held her breath and pressed her ear against the wood.
“I’ve marked everything with the Red Cloth, just as you said.”
“Well done. Today is when Miss Reta visits, after all.”
The person speaking sounded female.
A thin, delicate voice—surely the Pink-haired Maid she’d seen every time she came to the Imperial Prince’s Palace.
“But it’s beginning to rain….”
“Should we clean up before it gets worse?”
“That would be wise.”
Rive Reta’s mind spun faster than it ever had.
Those maids whispering about someone who’d gone missing.
Yurian’s question about whether it had been taken care of.
The marks carved in Red Cloth….
‘That’s where the body was disposed of. It has to be.’
Every puzzle piece slotted into place with perfect, seamless clarity.
And by a stroke of fortune, just days ago she’d walked through the Garden of the Imperial Prince’s Palace with Yurian and seen a tree tied with Red Cloth.
She hadn’t understood it then, but now she recalled how he’d seemed startled by it.
Rive Reta’s lips curved into a smile.
‘Of course….’
No saints walked this earth.
Killing one maid might have been a minor stain, but with Yurian as the culprit, the calculation changed entirely.
This could mar his reputation catastrophically.
In just a week, she’d managed to seize leverage over Yurian Ozwald.
“Heheheh….”
Laughter slipped between her lips.
It tasted so achingly sweet she couldn’t contain it.
She lowered the hand she’d raised to knock, and without hesitation, turned on her heel.
Now that she had what she wanted, there was no time to waste.
Her steps were light, her heartbeat thrumming with delicious anticipation.
“Countess’s daughter.”
That honeyed title flickered through her mind once more.
This time, with a warmth far closer to reality.
* * *
“…you think she swallowed it?”
“Yes. Almost certainly.”
I clamped my mouth shut, then couldn’t help myself and let out a small laugh.
“Heheheh.”
My eyes narrowed into crescents of their own accord.
It worked far better than I’d expected!
I’d had the maids deliberately drop hints in front of the Countess’s daughter, shifted the guards away, timed the conversation with His Highness perfectly—every bit of it choreographed.
The entire board was of my making.
— That girl—you haven’t disposed of her yet?
The moment those words left my lips, Miss Riva Reta’s mind would’ve already woven the narrative complete.
The vanished maid, the Red Cloth, the talk of cleaning up.
…It was far too plausible.
I swallowed a quiet laugh.
People have a gift for taking two entirely unrelated pieces of information, stitching them together however they see fit, and believing the result to be truth.
“Truly magnificent work, Vanillin.”
Just then, a warm voice tickled my ear.
Yurian sat deep in his chair, regarding me with a fond expression.
The corners of his mouth curved upward ever so slightly.
“Though it seems your Acting technique could use some refinement.”
“Y-yes…?”
“Your tone sounded strange to me.”
Her eyes widened abruptly.
What did he mean?
“What’s wrong with my acting…?”
I practiced so hard….
I lowered my pitch, made my expression as grave as I could manage.
Honestly, I thought I did it rather well?!
“Even a child would perform better than Vanillin.”
“That can’t be….”
It made no sense.
The shock sent my body swaying.
After all the effort I put in….
Unwilling to lose without a fight, I tried to find fault with him in return.
“Well, you yourself—!”
“Myself?”
“U-ugh….”
That unhurried gaze left me speechless.
If I’m being honest, Yurian’s acting was flawless.
He wore the same smile as always, yet something about it felt subtly different—like there was a grain running through it.
The way he spoke felt both gentle and cold, tender yet concealing something. Like someone hiding a secret.
I’d nearly been fooled for a moment, so that tells you everything….
In the end, my shoulders sagged.
“You were just too good at it….”
“I see.”
“Really, it was perfect.”
“Was it? Actually, Vanillin’s performance was passable.”
Ah… yes.
That remark was neither comforting nor appreciated, thank you very much.
I looked away deliberately.
I didn’t have the courage to glare directly, so I managed only the tiniest glare… the absolute tiniest.
“Sigh.”
It’s fine, Vanillin.
What does it matter if you’re good or bad at acting?
…Though, to be fair, you really did do well.
I shook my head to shake off the disappointment and turned my attention to the hourglass sitting on the side table.
Yurian had flipped it right after Rive Reta disappeared, and by now the sand had nearly emptied through the narrow gap.
“So what we do now is….”
“Watch.”
The moment the last grain of sand fell, Yurian pushed the hourglass aside and rose slowly from his seat.
There was ease in the way he adjusted his clothes.
As if to say the urgency lay with them, not with us.
“Every piece is already in position.”
He smiled with his usual gentleness.
* * *
Patter.
The drizzle that had been falling grew heavier.
Streams of water traced paths down the windowpane.
Through the haze of the garden beyond, the tree bound with the red cloth stood out in sharp relief.
“…It’s the perfect vantage point.”
“Indeed.”
I whispered from where I stood pressed against the window, and Yurian answered in a leisurely tone.
He remained reclined on an elegant white sofa.
And truly, it was perfect.
This was the second floor of the Third Imperial Prince’s Palace, a small terrace at the far end of a corridor.
Anyone looking from below would never notice this spot unless they were specifically searching for it.
‘But from here, the entire garden spreads out before us….’
Especially that tree with the red cloth tied to it—it was positioned directly in front of us.
Surely he’d chosen that tree deliberately.
To watch the Second Imperial Prince come undone by his own hand.
I found myself biting at my lip for no reason.
The rain had made my fingertips grow cold.
“Will he really… come?”
“He will.”
Unlike me, Yurian showed no trace of worry.
How could he be so certain?
I turned slightly, and he merely shrugged.
“Vanillin has arranged everything.”
“…Yes. That’s right.”
An odd feeling settled over me.
Did he truly trust me so completely?
For several minutes I peered anxiously out into the courtyard.
“There!”
They’d arrived.
A group of people were clashing with the palace guards.
The Second Imperial Prince, Kitten, and his knights… and.
“He’s brought the Imperial Investigation Unit with him.”
Kitten had come prepared.
His resolve to expose Yurian’s crimes before the world was unmistakable.
“He’s trying to bypass protocol. Even as the elder brother, it would take considerable time to enter this palace legitimately. And especially with armed soldiers in tow.”
At his explanation, my mouth fell open slightly.
The situation was perfect.
The Imperial Investigation Unit answered directly to the Emperor.
Everything that followed would reach the Emperor’s ears.
Had he foreseen all of this?
“Well, I merely added my hand to Vanillin’s idea.”
How unsettlingly reassuring…
His ability to manipulate events without stepping forward was far more exceptional than I’d imagined.
“There—the Red Cloth!”
“Dig it up at once!”
As he spoke, the Second Imperial Prince and the Imperial Investigation Unit flooded into the garden.
I caught a glimpse of Rive Reta’s face among them.
The garden began to be torn apart.
“What a waste…”
The flowers that had bloomed so beautifully were mercilessly trampled and broken.
The sound of wet earth being overturned came through the window, clear and distinct.
I gripped the windowsill tightly.
“What exactly did you put inside?”
“Curious?”
A smile bloomed across his face, bright and unshadowed.
“The Ledger of Wrongdoings. My brother’s complete record.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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