I Was Hired by the Black-Minded Prince for My Life's Ransom - Chapter 4

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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 4. How Entertaining
For it to be mere coincidence, the timing was far too convenient.
‘Could the Duke really have lost his balance at that precise moment… was it truly an accident?’
Third Prince Oswald Urian.
The Empire’s saint—kind and tender-hearted to everyone.
And, proving his reputation was no exaggeration, possessed features almost angelically beautiful.
I lowered my head, concealing the tremor in my eyes.
Oswald Urian asked gently.
“What did you say your name was?”
A truly gentle voice.
Low and warm, as though he knew nothing at all.
A warning bell tolled in my mind—I shouldn’t tell him—but—
“Vanillin… Your Highness.”
A mere servant could never do such a thing!
I squeezed my eyes shut.
“Vanillin.”
He rolled my name on his tongue as he spoke it.
Then he smiled with eyes half-closed and nodded.
“I’ll remember that. I shall see that you receive a generous reward shortly.”
A chill ran down my spine.
‘What if that generous reward means death…?’
Surely it wouldn’t be anything like that?
I made an effort not to shrink away, bowing my head lower.
“It is my honor, Your Highness.”
“I had no idea such talent existed in the Imperial Palace.”
His expression was nothing like the man who had just stepped on the Duke’s cloak hem.
Radiant and gentle…
A face of such spotless purity.
I felt my heart waver before that flawless perfection.
‘No… could I have been wrong…?’
Had I misread the situation?
Or was it truly just coincidence?
I bit my lip.
The cloak the Duke wore was longer and more ornate than standard formal wear, trailing across the ground in a wide sweep.
Given its length, it was possible he wouldn’t even notice if someone stepped on it.
‘Still, if an accident happened while he was showing off the treasure, even a prince would have difficulty escaping responsibility.’
They said it was the nation’s foremost treasure.
The responsibility for breaking something so precious would be grave indeed.
A prince wasn’t a fool, and he wouldn’t deliberately court scandal like that.
With that thought, my anxiety eased somewhat.
‘…Right. I was being too suspicious.’
I’d simply been frightened in the moment.
Yes, such a beautiful prince would never do anything so underhanded.
I shook my head, brushing the doubt away.
Then I smiled openly toward him.
“Thank you so much, Your Highness.”
……
The Third Prince looked down at me for a moment, then eased the corners of his eyes and returned my smile.
“Of course.”
With a face of such kindness, smiling radiantly,
“Let’s meet again, Vanillin.”
he promised me a next time.
* * *
And after the Third Prince and Duke Desmond had departed,
“Vanillin…!”
“You little blessing!”
the other servants rushed toward me with tears streaming down their faces.
“How did you catch that pottery with such thin arms!”
“Looking so meek and unassuming… but so clever!”
“I can barely breathe…”
Squeeze.
So many hands wrapped around me.
Warm enough to steal my breath.
As I wriggled between them, the Head Maidservant’s face softened into a pleased smile.
“The Celestial Pottery was a gift from the Celestials to commemorate the Empire’s founding.”
“Celestials?”
I blinked, confused.
“People who live in the sky…?”
“To be precise, they’re descendants of angels and humans mixed together.”
Angels and hybrids?
I tilted my head.
Why would angels marry humans and bear children in the first place…?
It all sounded terribly far-fetched.
The Head Maidservant shrugged.
“I don’t know much about it myself—the Celestials ascended to the heavens ages ago, or so they say.”
“So it’s just a legend, then?”
“You could say that.”
I see….
I nodded in understanding.
It didn’t quite make sense, but this strange, otherworldly pottery was the Empire’s most precious treasure by far.
And just moments ago…
In my hands…
It nearly shattered into pieces…?
A chill ran through me.
I shivered at the cold prickling across the back of my neck.
“Oh, oh my—it really was terrifyingly close…?”
“Exactly.”
A gasp escaped me.
I felt as though my soul had been yanked straight out of my body.
‘I really… really could have vanished without anyone ever knowing…!’
Not just me—everyone in this room would have been put to death.
The crime of breaking a national treasure warranted that severity.
‘I knew I should never have accepted a commission from the Imperial Palace!’
Dai, that man is blinded by money…!
Sniffle.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
As my shoulders sagged and my eyes reddened, the Head Maidservant gave my shoulder a hearty pat.
“This proves you’re a true talent! I do hope you’ll work with us for many years to come!”
“Exactly, we’re counting on you, Vanillin!”
“We love you, Vanillin—!”
“I have no intention whatsoever of doing so….”
Why would I?!
A sob caught in my throat.
I swallowed my tears in silence.
‘All I want is to run away right now.’
Could I slip away to find Dai under the pretense of using the restroom…?
If I told him this Sacred Contract was nothing but an illusion and urged him to leave quickly, surely he’d listen?
‘At least he won’t beat me if he doesn’t find out.’
I sniffled quietly.
If I went to meet him before our scheduled contact time,
He’d definitely beat me, demanding to know if I’d intentionally gotten discovered or why I dared show up here.
So for now I had no choice but to keep working here….
“Um… could I possibly use the restroom for a moment?”
I really did need to use the restroom….
As I shuffled toward the door, the Head Maidservant called out teasingly.
“Vanillin, you’re not running away, are you?”
“Of course not!”
I answered without even looking back.
But in my heart, I was screaming with clasped hands.
‘I’m so sorry! I want to disappear right now…!’
* * *
Yet she had not, it seemed, been dealt a fatal blow, for nothing untoward had occurred since.
There had only been the polishing of various treasures,
and more polishing,
and yet more polishing still.
‘Ugh… my whole body aches.’
After arranging every treasure from the palace entrance to the Banquet Hall,
I rubbed my sore lower back and gazed out the window.
By now the moon had risen; it was the height of the Founding Celebration.
Which meant the time for the Contact was drawing near.
‘What a pity….’
When would I next get to slip away?
My legs were reluctant to move, but I forced myself up.
“I’ll just step away to the washroom for a moment.”
This time, unlike before, I spoke with the express purpose of escape.
Creak—click.
Without drawing anyone’s suspicion, I slipped out quietly.
“Haa….”
The meeting place was… the Imperial Palace’s Abandoned Garden, wasn’t it.
It was quite a distance, so I moved carefully through the darkness.
The Imperial Palace at night wore a face entirely different from the day.
Beneath the softly glimmering starlight, the tall, magnificent buildings seemed to melt into the sky itself.
Golden lamplight overflowed from every window, and beautiful music drifted from the open Balcony.
“Oh…”
An exclamation escaped me unbidden.
Just for a moment… couldn’t I steal just one glimpse?
I found myself drawn toward the half-open towering doors like a moth to flame.
Through the crack, an enchanting scene swept over me.
Dresses flowing like waves, laughter, the sweetness of perfume in the air….
Everything shimmered with light.
It felt as though a world from a painting were breathing.
“So this is a banquet.”
My chest tingled with wonder.
I had never imagined the world could be so beautiful.
I thought I could watch it forever and never tire.
I was lost in the sight before me when—
“Oh…”
A familiar face abruptly entered my view.
I blinked.
“Dai.”
My master.
Now that I thought of it, he had mentioned going to the banquet.
But something seemed off.
His usual composed expression had vanished entirely; his face was flushed as he strode purposefully through the crowd.
Moreover, Desmond walked at his side.
‘What…?’
Something felt wrong.
Did they know each other? Since when?
Seized by an uneasy feeling, I pressed myself against the doorframe.
Looking more closely, the Marquis’s face was as flushed as Dai’s own.
The Marquis exhaled sharply through his nose and gestured accusingly at someone.
I couldn’t quite make out the words, but the atmosphere was unmistakable.
‘Good heavens, they’re fighting….’
But with whom?
I leaned forward a bit more.
In that moment, I caught sight of familiar cream-colored hair.
Wait. Hold on.
“T-the T-th…”
The Third Prince…?!
Gulp!
I was so startled that a hiccup burst out of me.
I quickly covered my mouth and hid my body behind the door.
It was definitely the Third Prince.
There was no mistaking that face.
‘What in the world is he doing there…!’
He wasn’t supposed to come to the meeting place I’d designated—so why was he acting like this?
It was deeply, profoundly, thoroughly ominous.
I peered through the crack in the door again.
In the time I’d looked away, it seemed a proper fight had broken out.
“…what did you just say?”
“…Your Highness said you’d already lost your mother!”
Oh, please.
Dai, Dai, Dai―!
No matter how much of a prince he was, he’d still strike.
Right at the moment I squeezed my eyes shut.
The Third Prince laughed.
“How amusing.”
With the same gentle face he’d shown me just moments before.

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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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