I Was Hired by the Black-Minded Prince for My Life's Ransom - Chapter 38

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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 38. A Gem Mine…?
“…….”
I didn’t know what to say.
I fell silent for a moment.
Was it because his laughter seemed unusually faint, nothing like his usual self?
I couldn’t grasp the true intent behind his question.
‘It’s definitely just a joke.’
Yet he looked like someone I’d never once chosen to take my side.
Crackle, crackle—
The sound of grass insects moving in procession reached my ears.
The grass beneath my feet swayed slowly.
I fidgeted with the Enchanted Berries in my pocket, then spoke softly.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“…….”
“I’m on your side.”
Part of that was because of the Soul Contract, but much of it was because of the time we’d spent together.
We were already in the same boat.
That was an undeniable fact.
And….
‘Even if it weren’t for the contract, I don’t want you to be hurt.’
Otherwise I think I’d feel abandoned again.
I lowered my gaze.
Then I picked up one of the same berries he’d eaten and took a bite.
“That’s why I hope you won’t get hurt.”
Crunch.
Rich juice from a berry sunsoaked burst across my tongue.
A brief silence fell.
Then Yulian’s eyes curved slowly upward.
“I see.”
Unlike before, his expression seemed quite satisfied.
“I’ll be more careful from now on.”
That smile was so radiant I felt my mind go blank.
My heart began to race, thump-thump, faster and faster.
My breathing grew a little shallow.
“Your cheeks are flushed.”
Yulian stepped closer.
He brushed the back of my head gently, tenderly.
His other hand came to rest on my waist.
“Ah…?”
At such close range, our eyes met helplessly.
I saw myself reflected in his transparent gaze.
He smiled softly, his eyes crinkling with an expression both serene and beautiful.
“I forgot to mention it, actually.”
“…Yes?”
“Those berries cause Paralysis in those without immunity.”
“What?”
“Whole-body heat and rapid heartbeat are the typical early symptoms.”
Thud.
Crackle, crackle, crackle….
The berry fell from my hand.
At the same moment, my legs gave out.
“Careful.”
Yulian caught me as if he’d been waiting for exactly this.
My head and waist were supported securely.
He laughed softly and continued.
“I’m moved. To have the courage to be injured yourself rather than see me hurt—that’s admirable.”
“No, no… Your Highness?”
“For a while your body will be stiff and unable to move.”
Yulian said that and then lifted me up in his arms.
It was literally a princess carry.
“Well, I suppose I can still move my tongue.”
“Eek!”
My upper body—or rather, my face—was buried against his broad chest.
Beneath the slightly damp fabric, I felt the warmth of his skin.
This is… I… this is….
“My, you’ll suffocate me like this, Vanillin.”
Sniffle.
“Please help me….”
“Of course.”
Yulian adjusted my posture with what seemed like barely contained amusement on his face.
My limp arms were folded gracefully and placed across my chest.
“I’d intended to tease you a bit longer, but I suppose I can’t help myself.”
“What do you… what?”
“There’s a place I’d like to show you. Shall we go?”
And with that, he set off with long, purposeful strides.
The way his mouth seemed to quirk upward must surely be a trick of my own mind—born from exasperation at finding him so infuriating.
Yes, yes.
It absolutely had to be.
Otherwise, I’d faint from stress.
* * *
He moved deeper into the forest with practiced ease.
Each time he parted the dense undergrowth, dew-laden leaves brushed against my arms.
“Oh, it’s cold.”
“You’re quite the complainer, aren’t you?”
Yulian wiped the moisture from my arm with his fingertip and let out a soft chuckle.
I remained cradled against him all the while.
The Paralysis effect would last another three hours, or so.
‘Hehe.’
If I’m being honest, it was extraordinarily convenient.
‘It’s like riding in a sightseeing carriage. It feels wonderful….’
Moreover, since Yulian was tall, my vantage point rose considerably.
Because of that, the island revealed itself in a new light.
It was rather enjoyable, all things considered.
And besides.
“Mind your head.”
“Thank you.”
He lifted overhanging branches so I wouldn’t strike them.
“You’re not thirsty, are you?”
“Perhaps a little parched….”
“Let’s rest for a moment.”
When we reached a Pond, he cupped water in his hand and brought it to my lips.
Yulian performed these gestures as though they were nothing, yet somehow I felt thoroughly cared for.
To be truthful, I was overwhelmed.
‘How can I indulge in such luxury?’
It felt as though I’d been elevated to some exalted station.
“Ahem.”
“What are you doing?”
“Hehe, I just felt like affecting a dignified air for a moment.”
“…There’s much I could say, but I’ll refrain.”
Yulian sighed and continued onward.
After we’d walked a little further, a large Gem Cave came into view.
Thick vines half-obscured its entrance.
I rolled only my eyes to survey it.
“What is this place…?”
“Where I dwelled during my Exile.”
“Your Highness stayed in such a place?”
He lived here? In a cave like this?
Exile or not, he was of imperial blood.
“Is something the matter?”
“…No, nothing at all.”
How long did I stay here? A few days?
I’m not sure.
While I tilted my head in confusion, Yulian walked inside as though he knew the place well.
The cave was wider than I’d expected.
Dark blue stone walls rose sheer and severe.
It was cool but not damp—dry, in fact, and carrying a faint, pleasant scent.
“What do you think was my reason for wanting this island, Vanillin?”
Yulian’s voice rang through the vast cavern, spreading like something melancholy and sweet.
I tilted my head, uncertain.
In truth, I wasn’t really thinking about it—just pretending to.
“You said it was to develop it as a tourist destination, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
Gravel-like stones crunched beneath his feet, crackling and popping with each step.
That smile on his face.
I blinked.
“…Was there more to it than that?”
“Indeed, it’s pleasant when words flow between us.”
Yulian nodded lightly.
“Tourism is merely a secondary concern. If it were only that, I wouldn’t have exposed your Second Elder Brother’s weakness back then.”
“Then what is it?”
“The true value of this island lies here.”
Tap.
He stopped walking.
Then slowly he looked up at the cave’s ceiling.
…
What was there?
Since I happened to be lying down, it wasn’t difficult to see the ceiling.
I turned my eyes upward.
And I saw it.
“Oh my…”
Gems? All of that?
I swallowed hard.
The entire world was shining.
Transparent mineral crystals were embedded densely across the cave walls, ceiling, and floor.
Blue light, pink light, vivid rainbow hues.
Though there wasn’t a single opening to the outside, the space was bright as day.
The cavern stretched deeper than the eye could follow.
I stood speechless, my mouth hanging open.
“Diamonds…?”
“Diamonds among other gems of every variety. All of exceptional purity, I might add.”
I must be going mad.
When I couldn’t close my mouth, he laughed softly and tapped my lips with his finger.
“Mother gave me quite the gift.”
“Your mother… you mean the Empress?”
“Yes. She abandoned me here, after all.”
…?
My mind ground to a halt.
Abandoned me here?
“You said I came here in Exile.”
“Ah, yes.”
He nodded as though conceding the point.
“After all, one cannot simply abandon a prince. So a pretext was hastily created. Even this remote island being named Valenta Island was meant to make it seem like something with a shred of legitimacy.”
“That, that doesn’t make any…”
It made no sense.
Yet the way he spoke so calmly made it feel like truth.
“How old were you?”
“Four, perhaps.”
“…For how long?”
“I lived here for about half a year.”
Yulian answered as though the matter were of little consequence.
It was the tone of someone recounting another person’s story.
But I couldn’t pull myself together from the shock.
‘Four years old — that’s just a baby.’
Yet on this desolate island, cast away under the guise of exile?
‘That’ Yulian?
“It rained heavily the day I was abandoned. I wandered about seeking shelter from it and discovered this cave.”
He gazed up at the skylight and smiled faintly.
“Thanks to it, I found such a source of wealth — surely the heavens looked upon me with mercy.”
“That’s… ”
It made no sense.
Something rose up inside me, pressing against my chest.
I held it down and opened my mouth.
“Why aren’t you suffering?”
This was wrong.
Abandoned by family, left alone as a child on an uninhabited island.
Yet he could smile so easily — it didn’t add up.
Yulian laughed lightly.
“Because I never trusted them in the first place.”
……
“Never even hoped for anything.”
Perhaps the Imperial Palace was nothing like the fairy tales I’d imagined.
Looking at him, seemingly so unbothered, pity welled up inside me in unexpected waves.
Perhaps that was why.
“…Your Highness.”
I lifted my hand, which had begun to move of its own accord, and cupped his cheek.
If he could trust neither parents nor anyone else.
“Then what about me?”
……
“Will you trust me?”

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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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