I Was Hired by the Black-Minded Prince for My Life's Ransom - Chapter 49

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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 49. The Secret Passage
“Are you all right?”
“What? Ah… yes.”
Thud-thud.
I answered in a daze and followed Yurian down the spiral stairs.
The passage leading underground was far deeper than I’d expected.
The light from above had already receded into the distance, and only the torches wedged at regular intervals along the walls cast a dim, reddish glow.
In ordinary circumstances, I would have gripped his sleeve out of fear….
But today I couldn’t spare the emotion.
His words kept circling through my mind.
‘He worried about me.’
It wasn’t simply the word “worried” that struck me.
He’d let slip such things before, now and then.
What astonished me was that he’d admitted it directly, from his own lips.
‘He worried about me.’
My heart thudded against my ribs.
Yurian was a difficult man.
He neither liked nor trusted people.
Therefore, he never truly let anyone near.
He was kind to everyone, yet opened his heart to no one.
The people of the Imperial Palace called him a saint, but… didn’t I alone know the truth?
His kindness was nothing but habit—not love.
‘But he was worried about me.’
“Vanillin.”
A sigh.
Yurian exhaled softly and turned to look at me.
“Are you that pleased by it?”
His eyes held the certainty of a man who could read her every thought.
A pang of embarrassment.
I rolled my eyes to the side.
“What…? Yes? What is it?”
[You even forgot I can read everything in that head of yours?]
“Eek!”
And now he suddenly spoke through Mind Transmission…!
That’s cheating.
I gasped and rubbed my arms as goosebumps prickled across them.
This sensation—as though he were leaning close to whisper in my ear—would never stop unsettling me, no matter how many times I experienced it.
I fumbled for words awkwardly.
“You heard all of that…?”
“Had I known the word ‘worried’ would please you so much, I’d have said it more often.”
“Will you say it often?”
“That was merely rhetoric. You ought to learn to distinguish such things by now.”
…Ugh.
I pushed out my lower lip.
For a moment I’d actually believed he meant it.
But of course—not from that cold man.
I hurried after him, quickening my pace.
Yet my mood remained undiminished by his rebuff.
“Your Highness, they say that worry is rooted in affection.”
“Is that so.”
“When affection exists, you cannot abandon that person.”
There had been a time when I tried to earn his love.
The incident with the young noble ladies had derailed it all, however.
“…….”
I’d been truly frightened then.
The memory of it chilled me anew, and I reached out to grip the hem of his robe.
He glanced down at the caught fabric, then turned to face me with an unmoved expression.
“What is it you’re trying to say?”
It was his way of commanding honesty.
I hesitated a moment, then lifted my head.
“You’re going to throw me away?”
Cutting through all the preamble, the question tumbled out.
Yurian laughed dryly, as though he’d heard something absurd.
“How could I throw away someone who’s made sure I can’t?”
“But what if there were a way?”
“Is there?”
“No, I’m just saying hypothetically….”
“Hmm.”
Surprisingly, he actually began to consider it.
After a pause—long enough for him to blink five or six times—the answer that came was remarkably vague.
“I’m not sure.”
“You’re… not sure?”
“I might throw you away, or I might not. I honestly don’t know.”
……
“Though it does seem a shame to throw you away, actually.”
“Is that… your answer?”
“Yes.”
Ugh.
I let my body go limp.
My shoulders had been rigid without my noticing—the tension finally released.
And after all that deliberation, that’s what he came up with.
I suppose I should be grateful he didn’t say he’d throw me away outright.
A sigh escaped me.
That man is utterly impossible to read.
I squeezed around to his side and poked my face toward his.
“So you’re not throwing me away, then?”
“Well.”
“Which means there’s affection involved…!”
“There could be.”
Is that evasive tone his trademark?
I sighed again and wedged myself past him, pushing forward.
If he insists on being vague, I’ll simply interpret it my own way.
‘What he’s really saying is that he needs more concrete affection.’
Fine. Then I’ll make him unable to bear not loving me.
It was time to restart the Love-receiving Project, which I’d put on hold.
At last, we reached the bottom of the stairs.
I went ahead and grasped the heavy door handle.
Creak.
The door swung open with the groan of ancient hinges.
I turned back and smiled brightly.
“Shall we go, Your Highness?”
And I indulged in a bit of boldness, adding:
“I’m ready to be loved this time.”
* * *
The Underground, which I’d thought was simply a secret space, turned out to be quite vast.
“Yahoo—.”
Yahoo.
Yahoo….
My voice echoed back like a ghost’s cry.
Yurian looked at me with something like pity.
“What are you doing?”
“Just getting a sense of the space….”
“How remarkably scientific.”
“Hehe, isn’t it?”
“I was being sarcastic.”
Why does he always have to mock?
I pouted and glanced around.
A world entirely different from the brilliant chaos of the party above.
The ceiling loomed high, and the walls were rough all over.
Great candles hung at regular intervals along the limestone stone walls.
‘How often is this place used?’
It looked far too well-maintained for regular neglect.
“It’s larger than I expected.”
“Indeed.”
“I had no idea such a space existed beneath the palace.”
“Nor did I.”
We stepped carefully into the darkness.
Dust stirred faintly beneath our feet.
The corridor branched in three directions—left, right, and straight ahead.
It resembled a labyrinth.
The rusted pillars scattered throughout and storage-like chambers gave the place an eerie quality.
“Perhaps they’ve hidden contraband down here?”
“That’s plausible.”
Yurian answered matter-of-factly while studying the surroundings.
His eyes seemed already mapping the layout.
I shrugged for no particular reason.
“Well? Is this not a fine gift, then?”
“I’ll withhold judgment for now.”
“How petty.”
‘And stingy too!’
He could just say it outright. Hmph.
“Vanillin.”
“Don’t twist my words like that.”
“Now you’re talking back.”
Yurian let out a hollow laugh.
There was no displeasure in it.
Just an exasperated sigh, as if exhausted by the absurdity.
I pressed ahead, feigning ignorance.
The deeper we ventured into the corridor, the colder the air became.
“So, which way should we explore?”
“Your choice.”
“Hmm….”
Which direction would be best?
I wrinkled the bridge of my nose in thought.
Time wasn’t pressing.
I’d left the window open, and pulled the lever on the secret passage to seal it again from inside.
Even if the Fourth Prince noticed my absence, he wouldn’t realize I’d discovered the passage itself.
‘Still, I should search quickly and leave.’
…Was there anything here that might serve as a clue?
I stood at the fork and examined every detail around me.
All three paths looked identical.
Whitewashed stone walls, candles, and then another fork beyond.
Every corridor had the same indistinguishable structure.
‘Rein… I mean, Baron Brennan—the place where I met him felt like this.’
The Slave Market’s distinctive design—an ant warren meant to trap any fleeing slave in its passages.
Was this underground space built with the same purpose?
Yet it hardly seemed necessary for a prince.
Not unless he was imprisoning people or trafficking slaves.
‘…But if he were…’
I ran my fingers carefully along the wall.
I’d visited the Slave Market before; I knew its layout well enough.
If this served the same function, there would surely be a marking here, about waist height….
“Found it.”
I felt a small groove beneath my fingertips.
Carved into the rough stone—three branching lines, like bird tracks.
I turned back to Yurian.
“There’s a symbol here.”
“A symbol?”
“The Slave Market uses them communally. The bird marks the auction house, the dog marks the office, and the fish… the detention room.”
Markings carved so the overseers wouldn’t lose their way.
Who would have thought that the task Dai had foisted off on me would prove so useful.
“I think we’d do well to head for the office, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes.”
Yurian nodded, his expression open and affable.
“It’s probably the only place in this wretched space that’s worth anything.”
Wretched….
I opened my mouth, then awkwardly averted my gaze.
By now I should have grown used to it—and yet hearing those words from that face still felt strange.
“Let’s go.”
Yurian moved first toward the spot marked with the Dog Symbol.
I quickly followed after him.
That was when it happened.
“Help….”
“……?”
“Please… help me….”
A voice drifting faintly from somewhere distant.
It was so faint that I wouldn’t have heard it without focusing intently.
I caught hold of Yurian’s sleeve.
“What is it?”
“Your Highness, wait. Just now….”
And then the voice came again.
“Please help me!”
This time it was clearer.
We both turned our heads at once.
The cry was coming from the corridor marked by the Fish Symbol, from the direction of the Detention Room.

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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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