I Was Hired by the Black-Minded Prince for My Life's Ransom - Chapter 40

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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 40. Rescue?
What, what did you—what did you just say?
“The two of us?”
I swallowed hard.
The campfire crackled softly, small sparks dancing upward.
Red flames flickered loosely within Yurian’s pupils.
He was smiling as though it were a jest, yet something in his expression suggested otherwise—an odd, unsettling quality.
I found myself hugging my knees tighter.
“I don’t think you should speak of such matters quite so… casually.”
“Why not?”
“Because…”
I let my lips fall slack, my voice trailing off.
“There’s no soft bed here.”
The Second Prince’s bed was extraordinarily plush and comfortable—wonderfully so.
“I’ve grown so accustomed to it that I can’t sleep without something like that anymore.”
People are truly fickle creatures.
When I lived with Dai, I slept soundly with nothing at all.
But one mustn’t let luxury spoil you like that.
I slumped forward, dragging my fingers through the sand beneath me.
“And there’s no blanket either… no pillow…”
……
“I really do prefer the Imperial Palace.”
A small nod.
The moment I reached that conclusion, Yurian let out a soft laugh.
His gaze held genuine amusement and intrigue.
I glanced up cautiously, watching his expression.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No reason.”
Yurian’s lips curled upward.
“I simply find it amusing how naturally you’ve come to regard my bed as your own.”
“Oh.”
…Wait, what?
Did it really come across that way?
I flustered, waving my hands dismissively.
“That’s not what I meant—I was merely saying the bed itself was comfortable…!”
“Was that so?”
He tilted his body slightly toward me.
His golden eyes curved playfully.
“I thought you were announcing your intention to keep sharing it with me from now on.”
“Your Highness!”
“I myself cannot sleep well anymore without you present.”
There he goes again, saying such easily misunderstood things as though it were nothing!
Heat rushed to my cheeks.
Had I been anyone less familiar with him, I surely would have misread his meaning entirely.
“Things were truly difficult in Luern.”
…He just has insomnia, that’s all!
I shook my head firmly side to side.
If I kept listening, my mental health would suffer.
I might begin to believe he actually needed me, or something equally dangerous.
‘Dangerous. Very dangerous.’
I had to change the subject!
I scrambled to my feet.
“We’ve finished eating, so shouldn’t we start thinking about what comes next?”
“Such as?”
“Building a raft, perhaps!”
It was the only way to make it back to the mainland.
But my companion proved formidable.
“You mean to build it yourself?”
“Yes!”
“You’re going to build it personally?”
“…Why are you sneering at me?”
“I wasn’t sneering.”
…Then what’s with that smirk?
Unfair.
Why does he show no sign of cooperation or even concern whatsoever?!
I struck my own chest with my clenched fist.
“You’re actually quite handy, you know.”
“Am I?”
“And strong too.”
“True enough. Stronger than me, certainly.”
He narrowed his eyes as though recalling something distant.
‘…Now that I think about it, I did knock you unconscious.’
And just by striking your solar plexus three times at that….
‘Oops.’
The air felt rather cold suddenly, so I hurried to change the subject.
“In any case, I can do it.”
“Have you made a raft before?”
“…No.”
“That’s a rather unsettling answer.”
“But I could try, couldn’t I…?”
We can’t very well stay here forever, after all.
I gestured earnestly.
“Tie logs together with vines, fashion something like oars….”
“And capsize within ten minutes of setting sail.”
“Your Highness!”
“Ha ha.”
Yurian laughed aloud.
His low, gentle voice suited the night sea remarkably well.
Honestly, it was a bit irritating, but still.
‘It’s good to hear him laugh.’
Heh.
Instead of pressing the point, I laughed along with him.
I was glad to see Yurian at ease.
I’d always thought him composed, whether at the Imperial Palace or in Luern, but this was different somehow.
As if a mask had fallen away.
I laughed with him and let my gaze drift toward the distant sea without thinking.
Expecting to see nothing but a black horizon stretching endlessly.
But then it happened.
“…Huh?”
A light flickered in the distance.
Upon the water.
Beyond the dark horizon, a faint glow drawing steadily closer.
“Wait?”
And it wasn’t just one.
Multiple lights were blinking.
I scrambled to my feet.
“What is that? What is that?”
“Hmm?”
Yurian turned his head in the direction I was pointing.
A ship.
And an enormous one at that.
“Your Highness, we’re—!”
“We’re saved.”
“Yes!”
I hopped and bounded toward the shoreline.
A ship arriving at this moment—there was nothing to be more grateful for!
“—Your Highness, are you there?”
“—Banilin!”
As the ship drew nearer, voices called out.
People holding lamps crowded toward the bow of the vessel.
Familiar faces came into view.
Brennon’s sailors—the ones I’d thought were lost.
Imperial Palace knights.
Even a rescue vessel.
I blinked hard.
‘…What?’
“We spotted a rescue signal and came at once!”
“Thank goodness you’re safe, Your Highness!”
“Everyone was terribly worried!”
…Wait a moment.
A rescue signal?
I turned my head slowly.
Yurian’s expression remained perfectly composed.
Actually, he looked almost amused.
“…Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
“Surely not.”
You wouldn’t have… would you?
At the look I gave him, he smiled warmly.
“Oh, did I forget to mention it?”
…Why do I feel so uneasy?
I looked up at him.
His voice was soft and gentle.
“Ever since being abandoned like that, I’ve made it a point to always carry a Rescue Signal Flare.”
……
“I’m not fond of having the same thing happen twice, you see.”
I lowered my head.
My entire body began to tremble.
“When… when did you use it?”
“Well, after Banilin first entered the island?”
Which meant all those things he’d said about whether we should survive together, and so on….
‘He was teasing me the whole time!’
My blood pressure spiked.
But what could I possibly do about it?
I clenched my trembling fists together and whispered softly.
“This deceiver…!”
What a devil!
But my silent cry of despair was carried away on the distant waves.
* * *
The days after returning from Valenta Island blurred past in a frenzy.
There truly wasn’t a moment to catch my breath.
The Baron of Brennon’s trial proceeded far more quickly than expected.
The evidence was simply too clear.
He had slaughtered the entire House of Brennon, sold the true heir to slave traders, and then boldly assumed the identity of the original Brennon master—a pirate who’d fabricated his entire life of legitimacy.
Layer upon layer of smuggling, illegal trade, and human trafficking were uncovered.
There was simply no corner left for him to escape to.
The Imperial Investigation Unit had thoroughly dismantled the Baron, and as a result, his life was unraveling with impressive completeness.
‘Yes, truly successful….’
I trembled slightly as I recalled the Baron’s face being dragged from the courtroom.
One must always live righteously.
Yes, indeed.
Looking at the case of another person here who hadn’t lived righteously, it was all the more clear.
“A large-scale gem mine has been discovered on Valenta Island.”
“What, what did you say? What did you just say?”
“My brother has given his younger sibling an extraordinarily precious gift. Thank you.”
The gems from Valenta Island numbered fifteen varieties in total, including diamonds, rubies, and sapphires.
Every single one of exceptional purity.
It was a discovery on a scale that could sustain an entire kingdom.
“Ugh… u-ugh.”
Upon hearing this news, the Second Prince collapsed on the spot.
The doctor said it was due to excessive stress and anger.
‘…I understand it, somewhat.’
His cousin had bought land and felt envious, but his rival younger brother had discovered a jewel mine on the land he himself had given him.
I imagined the world would have gone dark before his eyes too.
But the real problem came after that.
The day the Second Prince, having recovered sufficiently, attended a meeting again.
Yurian smiled with a very gentle face and spoke.
“After the mine development is complete, we intend to develop Valenta Island as a tourist destination.”
“…….”
“We’ve also completed a contract with Brennon’s new baron, and we’ve already secured the tourism route development rights and port usage rights.”
The Second Prince’s fist, barely recovered, began trembling again.
“That’s… that’s wonderful. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, brother. The projected revenue is said to be three thousand Gold.”
“…Per year?”
“No, per month.”
And the Second Prince collapsed again.
This time, he was carried out on a stretcher.
‘…He’s starting to seem a bit pitiful.’
Thus the journey, which had stretched far longer than expected, came to an end.
And for a while afterward, there was a peace that seemed almost unreal.
No incidents occurred, the Second Prince remained quiet, and no one suddenly burst in weeping.
Which meant.
“…Your Majesty, might I be permitted to use the Imperial Palace library?”
It was the perfect time to learn more about Lanslot.

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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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