I Was Hired by the Dark Prince for My Life's Worth - Chapter 22

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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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Chapter 22. The Langslot Ducal House?
“Wow….”
I sank into the sofa and spread the documents across my lap.
They smelled of paper.
Of expensive ink as well.
‘If I keep at it today, I think I can read through everything.’
I’d been glancing through them whenever I found a spare moment, so the remaining stack wasn’t terribly large.
‘I really hope something shows up today….’
Any trace of him seemed tantalizingly close, yet perpetually out of reach.
If it’s not here, I’ll have to request the unauthorized incident records and go through those as well.
…And what if it’s not there either?
Rustle—
I swallowed my worry and examined each page carefully.
A noblewoman poisoned.
A peasant rebellion in the Southern Territory.
A society scandal.
Smuggling.
A series of murders targeting commoners….
Not this one, not that one either.
“Sigh.”
The breath escaped me unbidden.
Nothing but cases that had nothing to do with him….
So many incidents occurred that year, yet there wasn’t a single clue connecting any of them to him.
“Ugh.”
I rubbed my eyes.
Four hours now spent hunched over cramped handwriting.
My vision was growing hazy with fatigue.
‘Could it really not be here?’
I was just contemplating whether to give up when it happened.
“…What?”
My fingertip stopped abruptly.
A single sheet bearing an unfamiliar crimson seal lay among the rest.
“State Secret…?”
Surely I was seeing things wrong?
I rubbed my eyes again.
But the characters didn’t change.
The document in my hands truly was a State Secret file.
“Good heavens.”
I’d been told these were records of every incident from Imperial Year 430, but I never expected State Secrets to be mixed in.
Isn’t this sort of thing normally sealed away somewhere deep underground…?
I glanced around the room without thinking.
‘…Of course. Your Highness has terrifying power.’
A flutter of gratitude warmed my chest, and I straightened in my seat.
Because it was marked classified, I suddenly burned with curiosity—and unlike the other documents I’d been skimming through by keywords alone, I found myself reading this one with meticulous care.
Flip—
The pages turned.
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[STATE SECRET DOCUMENT]
Classification Level: First-Degree Classified
Imperial Year 430 Treason Case Report
Case Name: Langslot Ducal House Treason Case
Investigating Agency: Imperial Direct Investigation Unit
Archive Classification: First-Degree Classified

The Langslot Ducal House cultivated private soldiers and attempted to overthrow the throne.
Additionally, they spread vicious rumors within the Imperial household claiming that a “demon wearing human guise” existed, thereby damaging the Imperial honor.
By Imperial decree, the Langslot Ducal House was designated for Family Extermination, which was subsequently carried out.

– All Langslot bloodline members executed
– Direct line, collateral branches, and relatives-by-marriage traced and purged
– Confiscation of related assets and territories
– Partial sealing of family records

Confirmed the existence of a son and daughter secretly raised by the Langslot Ducal House.
Both targets eliminated following pursuit.
(Elimination site: Clark Street)
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For some reason, something felt off.
“…Clark Street?”
A faint queasiness bloomed in her chest.
Dai’s office had been on Clark Street.
And it was also the last place she’d seen her brother alive.
“Vanillin, put this on. You can’t wear that anymore.”
That day, rain poured.
Her brother had dressed the corpse of a girl abandoned in the slums in her clothes, and put the girl’s clothes on her instead.
Then he hid her among mountains of discarded garbage.
“Let’s play hide-and-seek. Count to one hundred, then come find me, all right?”
Why had he told her to count to one hundred?
He must have known she could only count to ten.
“…What a foolish brother.”
She’d been too young to realize he was making himself the bait.
Her brother had carried away the corpse and lured the knights away, only to be found as a cold body later.
……
Don’t dwell on sentiment.
She shook her head sharply.
It was merely coincidence that they were siblings and that he’d died on Clark Street.
‘I couldn’t possibly be the child of a noble house—let alone a ducal one.’
Right. What an absurd idea.
She’d always lived only with her brother.
She’d never seen her mother or father.
So this was probably just chance.
Yet her heart kept fluttering uneasily.
She bit her lip hard and began sifting through the remaining documents again.
Wondering if there might be another similar case.
……
But no matter how much she searched, she found nothing.
This case alone was the only one with any overlap to her own experience.
* * *
‘…First, I should ask for the records of the Unauthorized Case.’
There might be a clue in there to unravel her brother’s death.
And.
‘I’ll just look into the Langslot Ducal House a little.’
Just slightly.
Surely it would amount to nothing, but she wanted to soothe the nagging unease.
With that thought, she gripped the blanket tightly.
In that moment.
“What are you thinking about so hard?”
Soft thump.
One side of the bed dipped slightly.
It was Yurian.
His hair was damp at the ends as if he’d just washed.
A faint scent of water and soap drifted from him.
“Ah…”
Now that she thought about it, she’d naturally ended up coming here to sleep again.
She was really getting used to this…
Was this all right?
She quickly reached out her hand.
“Give me the towel, please.”
He handed it over without a word and sat on the edge of the bed.
She positioned herself naturally behind him and began patting his hair dry with gentle taps.
Doing this several times over, it had become routine.
Silken hair slipping smoothly between my fingertips.
The sensation of well-textured strands drying slowly felt oddly pleasant.
“So.”
“Yes?”
“What were you thinking about?”
…Ah.
I pressed my lips together and rolled my eyes away.
‘Langslot….’
Could I possibly tell this man that I might be descended from that traitorous house?
No, absolutely not.
He’d kill me without hesitation if he got the chance.
If he learned I might be the heir of a house that committed treason, I could be executed on the spot.
I forced myself to smile as though nothing was wrong.
“I was just wondering if I could see the records of the unauthorized cases.”
“Hmm.”
Yurian’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“There’s nothing else troubling you?”
“Eh, what?”
“Langslot, perhaps.”
“…Hic!”
My breath caught and a hiccup escaped me.
Again, he’d read my thoughts again…!
Ugh, honestly. There’s nothing I can do about it.
I let out a long sigh.
“It’s nothing much. I was just curious what kind of place it is….”
“I see. Come to think of it, Langslot was purged four hundred and thirty years ago.”
Yurian nodded as though it made sense.
And surprisingly, without mockery, he spoke calmly.
“Langslot was a founding family of this empire.”
“A founding family….”
“And they were descendants of a Heavenly Being.”
A Heavenly Being.
I blinked.
It was a familiar word—one I’d thought I would never hear again.
“You mean the Heavenly Being who gave the Heavenly Being’s Vessel?”
“Yes, I see you remember.”
As he recalled that day, Yurian’s smile deepened slightly.
…Yikes.
“I-I’m so sorry….”
“No need to be.”
As I tried to avert my gaze, Yurian chuckled softly and continued his explanation.
“To be precise, the first Duke of Langslot was a Heavenly Being.”
“A Heavenly Being?”
“According to records, they married a human to bless the founding of the empire and left descendants.”
I see.
As though listening to an old tale, I finished drying his hair.
By then, nearly all the moisture had evaporated.
Then.
Yurian suddenly lifted a single strand of my hair between his fingertips.
“Hm?”
Pink hair coiled loosely between his fingers.
He looked up at me and smiled softly.
“Now that I think about it.”
His voice was languid and tender.
“Pink hair was said to be a distinctive trait of Langslot.”
…….
Huh.
A chill ran down my spine in that instant.
Is… is he testing me right now…?
Surely you’re not actually suspecting me?
Purge.
Treason.
Beheading.
Execution….
Terrible words tumbled through my mind in a cascade.
“I—I take it back…!”
“Ha!”
The moment I jerked my hand away, Yurian burst out laughing.
Deep dimples framing a mouth curved in delight.
Never mind that his face had destructive power no matter when you looked at it.
Only then did I realize I’d been teased, and my lips pouted.
“Please don’t jest with me like that….”
“I’ll do my best to resist.”
Yurian shrugged, then tapped the spot beside him on the bed with a light hand.
An invitation to come closer.
I scurried over and burrowed into the blankets, whereupon he covered me with the quilt as though it were routine.
Then, almost in passing, he spoke.
“I was thinking we might travel tomorrow.”
“…Travel?”
“Yes, travel.”
Yurian’s eyes closed slowly as he smiled.
“Somewhere Vanillin would truly love.”

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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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