I Was Hired by the Black-Minded Prince for My Life's Ransom - Chapter 45

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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 45. An Odd Party
The maid’s tone was abrupt, but that was fine.
Not everyone in the Imperial Palace was kind, after all.
In truth, maids with that sort of temperament weren’t uncommon.
What troubled me was the content of what she’d said.
“He said it was urgent?”
“Yes.”
“…And you also need to avoid people’s eyes?”
I pressed my lips together.
Wasn’t that strange?
Yuri An’s Saint Act was meticulous.
It meant he would never let slip a single word that could appear even slightly suspicious.
There was no way he’d give such instructions to a maid whose face he didn’t even know….
And yet.
‘What if, just what if, it’s real…?’
That slim possibility kept catching at my heels.
What if something had happened involving the Second Prince, and he’d grabbed anyone nearby to summon me? What then?
The moment from just before flashed through my mind.
The voice saying he was disappointed.
The face gone cold and rigid.
…….
I didn’t want to disappoint him again.
“Wait, give me just a moment.”
I closed the door.
Then I scrawled a memo across a napkin.
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Your Highness,
You’re looking for me urgently, I’m told… but could this be a scam or a kidnapping?
I probably shouldn’t go, but what if something’s happened to you? I’m worried.
Because you’re my person too, after all….
I hope you’re the one who called for me.
If this is a kidnapping, please do come rescue me.
Though honestly, you don’t have to. I’ll escape on my own.
I’m heading out now.
—Vanillin
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…This should be enough, right?
Your Highness will be able to locate me anyway.
I drew a deep breath, opened the door again, and followed the brown-haired maid out.
“Let’s go.”
* * *
Rattle, rattle.
I sat in an old carriage with no windows, picking at my fingernails.
…Was I being deceived after all?
When I asked why I needed to take a carriage to meet the Second Prince, the maid looked startled for a moment, then grew irritable.
“Aren’t you his personal maid? You should know that. Both of them went to the party. That’s why you’re taking the carriage.”
Sitting in a carriage bound for an unknown destination was suffocating.
That slim possibility, that sliver of “what if,” kept me from bolting recklessly away.
“Is it still far…?”
“We’re almost there.”
Creak.
The moment those words left her lips, the carriage began to slow and came to a stop.
Through the window, a massive mansion came into view—newly built and glittering with grandeur.
“Let’s go inside.”
The brown-haired maid pushed open the iron gate with the ease of familiarity.
Creeeak—
The instant the gate swung open, a thick fragrance wafted in.
It smelled like flowers mixed with alcohol—a scent that was subtly nauseating.
I instinctively wrinkled my nose.
“Your Highness is here? That can’t be right….”
“Just go in.”
“…Ugh!”
I stumbled.
Pushed forward by the maid’s hand, I stepped across the threshold.
The interior revealed itself in all its gaudy, decadent excess.
Deep wine-colored lighting.
Ornate crystal chandeliers, discarded clothing strewn about without ceremony, wine glasses, and tobacco smoke so thick it blurred my vision….
And masks.
Everyone wore a mask.
My heart sank.
“Wait, this place….”
I turned to demand an explanation from the maid.
Click.
Without a word, the door closed behind me.
“Wait!”
Clack, clack!
The handle wouldn’t budge.
It was locked from the outside.
‘This is insane.’
Was Yuri An actually in here?
Or was this a genuine abduction?
Without any explanation, I was drowning in confusion.
I bit down hard on my lip.
Standing here paralyzed wouldn’t accomplish anything.
‘First things first… I need to cover my face.’
Everyone else was already glancing at me—the only one without a mask.
I scanned the surroundings quickly.
What caught my eye was a white cloak draped carelessly over a table.
After a moment’s hesitation, I grabbed it and pulled it over my head.
Drawing the hem forward to cover roughly half my face, I finally felt a measure of relief.
Deep shadows pooled beneath my eyes.
‘So… should I look for him?’
I took a deep breath, then began moving through the crowd.
If Yuri An was here, I needed to find him and help him. If this was a trap, I needed to escape fast.
Either way, confirming whether he was here at all was the priority.
Clutching the cloak tight, I threaded carefully between the bodies.
“Pardon me….”
“…….”
“I’m just… passing through!”
If Yuri An were here, he’d be in the most inconspicuous corner.
A saint would never naturally belong in a place like this—he’d be hiding, staying out of sight.
With that reasoning, I surveyed the mansion, but Yuri An was nowhere to be found.
One pass, then two.
Just as frustration began to mount at his continued absence, someone grabbed my wrist.
“Where are you going?”
“……!”
I jerked my wrist free by instinct.
“I’m looking for someone.”
“Here? Really?”
The man laughed.
“That’s unusual. Everyone comes here to forget.”
“…….”
Well, some people do come looking….
I lowered my head and shook off his hand, moving on.
‘This is bad.’
Actually, something had felt wrong with my body for a while now.
At first I thought it was just nerves….
‘I need to get out. Fast.’
The longer I stayed, the worse it grew.
My breath came in ragged gasps.
The edge of my vision blurred.
My heart raced without reason, and each breath came hot and heavy.
‘I’m burning up….’
I wiped the back of my neck.
It felt like I was running a fever.
Or more precisely… like I was drunk.
Even though I hadn’t touched a single drop of alcohol.
At that moment, a noblewoman passing beside me laughed.
“The drug’s working nicely.”
“…….”
Was she talking to me…?
When I turned to look at her through blurred eyes, the others giggled.
“How cute, is this your first time?”
“Look at how red her face is.”
Drug.
My heart began to race with alarm.
I inhaled the air around me instinctively.
The thick scent of perfume mingled with alcohol and tobacco, and woven between them—an unnaturally sweet fragrance.
“…Surely not.”
I pressed my sleeve to my nose and mouth too late—far too late.
My legs grew weak beneath me.
The single chandelier blurred into two.
“Hahaha.”
“Hey, are you alright?”
One voice became two, and two voices became three.
The room swam dizzily around me.
“Ugh….”
I staggered backward.
I felt like I might be sick.
My breath came short, my chest tight.
Something was terribly wrong.
‘I shouldn’t have come….’
Even as I kept thinking something was amiss, the thought that Yuri An might be in danger made me throw caution to the wind.
…When had we become so close?
It was only ever meant to be a contract.
Crumple—
My legs finally gave out.
My body collapsed lifelessly to the floor.
“Sigh… Excuse me, I’ll just slip through.”
In that instant, the crowd parted.
Emerging from the gap was an enormous shadow.
Footstep after footstep, the heels of black dress shoes struck the floor.
Black gloves and a black shirt, a loosely undone necktie, a cigarette wedged between his fingers….
And half-lidded, languid eyes.
“I suppose I’ll have to take this one… troublesome as it is.”
“……!”
Before I could protest, he hoisted me over his shoulder.
I tried weakly to struggle, but it was useless.
The nobles around us voiced playful objections.
“Oh my, what a shame.”
“We spotted her first. And the host just cuts ahead like this?”
“If you’re so aggrieved, throw your own party.”
I blinked, trying desperately to steady my muddled mind.
A solid shoulder, a strong reek of alcohol, and the cool, acrid smell of cigarette smoke.
“…Your Highness?”
I found myself murmuring.
Even knowing it couldn’t possibly be Yuri An, fear made me say it anyway.
“Looks like you’re searching for the Third Prince.”
The man spoke with a languid, mirthless tone.
“Sorry to disappoint, but you’ve been deceived. The Third Prince isn’t here.”
He pulled out a fresh cigarette and pushed it straight between my lips.
“Mmph.”
“So I’d appreciate it if you’d stay quiet and play your role as bait.”
A strange sensation bloomed across my tongue.
His warm fingers grasped my chin, tilting it upward.
“It’s made from medicinal herbs, so bite down properly.”
Scratch.
The cigarette in my mouth caught fire with the rasp of a match striking.
His gloved fingers traced slowly across my cheekbone.
“I can’t have you damaged. You’re the star of tonight’s Party.”
The corners of his mouth curved upward, but his eyes remained cold as stone.
“Inhale deeply. Otherwise, you’ll die.”

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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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