I Was Hired by the Dark Prince for My Life's Worth - Chapter 19

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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 19. All the pieces are already on the board
Cold. And dry.
Ribe Reta’s heart pounded as the voice reached her—stripped of emotion so completely it felt alien.
‘Surely not….’
No. Don’t jump to conclusions yet.
She couldn’t afford to take risks on a single word.
Ribe Reta glanced around her surroundings.
Whether the world was helping her or simply fate, there was no guard stationed at the door today.
A gift from heaven.
She held her breath and pressed her ear to the door.
“I’ve marked the spot with the Red Cloth, just as you instructed.”
“Well done. Today is when Miss Reta visits, after all.”
The one speaking seemed to be a woman.
That thin, delicate voice—surely the pink-haired maid she’d seen every time she came to the 3rd Prince’s Palace.
“But rain is coming….”
“Should we clean it up before it gets any worse?”
“Yes, I think that’s best.”
Ribe Reta’s mind spun faster than ever before.
The handmaids whispering that someone had disappeared.
Yurian asking if she’d been taken care of.
The mark etched with Red Cloth….
‘It has to be where the body was disposed.’
Every piece of the puzzle clicked seamlessly into place.
And, by odd coincidence, just days ago she’d walked through the Garden of the 3rd Prince’s Palace with Yurian and seen a tree bound with Red Cloth.
She hadn’t understood then, but thinking back on it now, he’d seemed startled.
Ribe Reta’s lips curved into a smile.
‘Just as I thought….’
There’s no such thing as a saint in this world.
Killing a mere maid would be nothing, but if her opponent was Yurian—that changed everything.
She could deal a serious blow to his reputation.
In just one week. She’d managed to seize leverage over Yurian Oswald.
“Heh heh….”
Laughter spilled from her lips.
So sweet, so delicious, she could hardly contain it.
She lowered her raised hand before it could knock, and turned away without hesitation.
She had what she came for—there was no time to linger.
Her footsteps were light, her heartbeat thrumming with pleasure.
“Countess.”
That sweet title echoed once more through her mind.
This time, with a warmth far closer to reality.
* * *
“…she took the bait, didn’t she?”
“Yes. Most likely.”
I pressed my lips together, then finally let a small laugh slip free.
“Hee hee.”
My eyes curved naturally into crescents.
It worked far better than I expected!
I had the handmaids deliberately drop hints in front of the Countess, quietly reassigned the guards elsewhere, timed everything perfectly, and orchestrated that conversation with His Highness.
The entire game was mine.
— You haven’t taken care of that girl yet?
The moment Miss Reta heard those words, the story must have completed itself in her mind.
A missing maid. Red Cloth. Talk of cleaning up.
…It was far too convincing.
I swallowed a quiet laugh.
People have a talent for taking two completely unrelated pieces of information, linking them together however they see fit, and then believing their own fabrication as truth.
“You truly are excellent, Vanillin.”
Then a warm voice tickled my ear.
Yurian sat deep in his chair, his expression fond as he regarded me.
The corners of his mouth curved slightly upward.
“Though I think your Acting could use a bit of practice.”
“Yes, yes…?”
“Your tone was rather… odd.”
Her eyes widened in an instant.
What on earth did he mean?
“What’s wrong with my Acting…?”
I really tried my hardest.
I lowered my tone, made my expression as serious as possible.
No, honestly, I thought I did quite well?!
“A child would perform better than Vanillin.”
“That can’t be….”
Impossible.
The shock sent my body swaying on its own.
After all the effort I put in….
I tried to find fault with him just because I hated losing, but—
“And you yourself, Your Highness…!”
“Myself?”
“Ugh… uhhh….”
His leisurely gaze left me speechless.
Honestly, Yurian’s Acting was flawless.
Even though he smiled just as he always did, there was something subtly different about it.
His tone felt gentle yet cold, kind yet somehow concealing something—like a person hiding secrets.
I’d been momentarily fooled myself, so there was nothing more to say….
In the end, my shoulders slumped.
“You were just too good at it….”
“Ah.”
“Really, it was perfect.”
“I see. Though Vanillin’s performance was passable as well.”
Ah… yes.
That remark was utterly unhelpful and I didn’t thank him for it.
I glanced away deliberately.
Not brave enough to look directly, I took only the tiniest, most subtle peek.
“Sigh.”
It’s fine, Vanillin.
What does being good or bad at Acting matter anyway?
…No, but he really was good.
I shook my head to brush off the disappointment and gazed at the Hourglass sitting on the side table.
Yurian had flipped it just after Ribe Reta vanished, and by now the sand had nearly emptied through the narrow channel.
“So now all we need to do is….”
“Watch and wait.”
As the last grain of sand fell, Yurian pushed the Hourglass to the side and slowly rose from his seat.
There was an ease in how he adjusted his clothes.
The sense that the rush belonged to them, not to us.
“The board is already set, after all.”
He smiled as gently as always.
* * *
Psshhh.
The drizzle grew into a heavier downpour.
Water streamed down the windowpane in long rivulets.
Beyond it, the Garden was hazy, but the tree bound with Red Cloth stood out clearly.
“…A perfect vantage point.”
“Quite so.”
I whispered while pressed against the window, and Yurian answered in that same unhurried way.
He remained reclined on an elegant white sofa.
And it truly was a perfect vantage point.
This was the second floor of the 3rd Prince’s Palace, a small terrace at the end of the corridor.
Unless one was looking deliberately, no one below would notice it.
‘But from here, the entire Garden spreads out below us….’
Particularly that tree with the Red Cloth, positioned directly in front.
He must have chosen that tree deliberately.
To watch the 2nd Prince collapse of his own accord.
I found myself worrying my lower lip between my teeth.
The rain had made my fingertips go cold.
“Do you really think… they’ll come?”
“They will.”
Unlike me, Yurian showed not a shred of concern.
How could he be so certain?
When I glanced back at him, he gave a slight shrug.
“Because Vanillin arranged it that way.”
“…Right. That’s true.”
An odd feeling had taken hold of me.
Did he trust me completely?
For several minutes I stood watching the street outside, my heart in my throat.
“Ah…!”
They had arrived.
A group of people was engaged in a heated argument with the palace guards.
The 2nd Prince, Kiton, and his knights… and then.
“He brought the Imperial Investigation Bureau as well.”
Kiton had clearly come prepared.
His determination to expose Yurian’s crimes to the world was unmistakable.
“He’s trying to bypass protocol. Even as the elder brother, it would take considerable time to enter my quarters. And with armed soldiers accompanying him, it would be even more difficult.” I drew a sharp breath at his explanation.
The situation was ideal.
The Imperial Investigation Bureau answered directly to the Emperor.
Everything that happened now would reach the Emperor’s ears.
Had he foreseen all of this?
“Well, I merely added a spoonful to Vanillin’s idea.”
Genuinely spine-tingling, how reassuring it was….
His ability to manipulate events without stepping into the foreground was far more formidable than I’d imagined.
“There! The red cloth!”
“Dig it up at once!”
As he spoke, the 2nd Prince and the Imperial Investigation Bureau surged into the garden.
I caught a glimpse of Ribe Reta’s face among them.
The garden began to be torn apart.
“What a waste….”
The flowers that had been blooming so beautifully were trampled mercilessly.
The sound of wet earth being overturned carried clearly through the window.
I gripped the window frame tightly.
“What exactly did you bury inside?”
“Curious?”
A smile bloomed across his face, radiant and serene.
“The Corruption Records of my brother.”

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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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