I Was Hired by the Dark Prince for My Life's Worth - Chapter 3

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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 3. I’m certain I stepped on it…!
“You work so hard, Head Maid.”
The Third Prince answered gently, and the Head Maid bowed even deeper.
“Your Highness, I scarcely know what to do with myself when you speak so kindly.”
“Come now.”
As he shook his head, his cream-colored hair rustled softly.
It moved like a single flower petal fluttering in the breeze.
‘Good heavens…’
Such beauty actually existed in this world.
I was blinking vacantly when the Third Prince glanced at me, his eyes crinkling softly at the corners.
“A face I haven’t seen before.”
The Head Maid quickly stepped forward.
“This is Vanillin, a new maid in service.”
“It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Your Highness…!”
I let out a voice that trembled faintly and bowed my waist in greeting.
Then the Third Prince spoke.
“A pleasure to meet you, Vanillin.”
His voice was warm and soft, like a breeze tickling one’s ear.
“Thank you for your kindness!”
I bowed even deeper.
Using formal speech even to a simple maid…
He truly was an angelic prince.
No wonder he was called the Saint of the Empire.
I was marveling at this inwardly when it happened.
“Ahem! Hem-hem.”
A nobleman beside him gave a loud, pointed cough.
A middle-aged man insisting he not be forgotten, his cough deliberate and forceful.
The prince smiled faintly toward the Head Maid and spoke.
“Lord Desmond expressed curiosity about the Imperial Palace’s treasures, so I invited him to join me.”
“Ha, I said there was no need, but our son-in-law saw fit to arrange this meeting for me nonetheless.”
At his casual tone, my eyes widened involuntarily.
‘Son-in-law…?’
So he was married?
‘He was a married man….’
I was nodding to myself when the Head Maid’s brow creased and her voice grew sharp.
“Son-in-law, you say?”
“Ah, that’s meant to be a secret. It hasn’t been announced officially yet.”
…….
So it wasn’t true.
I pressed my lips together and watched carefully for signs.
Even in my ignorance of nobility, something about this seemed amiss.
The Head Maid’s gaze turned sharp as a blade.
“Since this matter remains unconfirmed, it would be best if you were more cautious with your words.”
“Hmm?”
But the marquis paid no mind whatsoever.
“It’s only a matter of time. The Second Prince is actively pushing it forward, after all.”
“…I see. So that is the case.”
“The Imperial Family needs vast wealth in the end. Ha-ha!”
A remark of breathtaking rudeness.
I stole a glance at the Third Prince.
One might expect displeasure, yet he merely wore a faint smile.
“My brother seems to regard you favorably. In any case, mind your footing—you walk rather quickly.”
Instead, he even showed concern for the marquis.
…If only Dai had half his grace.
I turned my head away with a sad gaze.
The marquis laughed heartily and shook his head.
“Ha-ha, no matter! I’m not so clumsy as to slip on a floor like this.”
His movements brimmed with self-assurance.
Yet my eyes darted with unease.
Truth be told, his attire was somewhat excessive.
Silk robes that pulled taut in places where they didn’t fit, embroidery threaded with gold so ostentatiously lustrous it gleamed.
But what truly worried me was that cloak.
The hem was oversized, dragging across the floor in expensive folds.
One misplaced step and he’d be finished.
I could understand the Third Prince’s concern.
‘It should be fine, right…?’
Then again, he was a grown man.
I fell into step behind the two of them, maintaining the proper distance of a servant.
With my hands clasped before me and my posture correct, I caught the thread of their conversation.
“My, the Imperial Palace treasures truly are something else. A world apart from House Desmond’s collection.”
“They are artifacts of considerable antiquity.”
“Well, it won’t be long before such things belong to our family anyway. No harm in taking a look ahead of time.”
Even at such brazen words, the Third Prince merely smiled warmly.
He even took it upon himself to guide the marquis further.
“The Pottery of the Heavenly Immortal is this way.”
“Oh! The Pottery of the Heavenly Immortal!”
So this was what it took to earn the title of Saint….
‘Whereas with Dai, I end up furious.’
A wave of admiration washed over me.
Desmond came to a halt before the ceramic piece, leaning in to peer at it.
“It’s smaller than I expected.”
“Is this your first time seeing it?”
“Yes… Ahem! I haven’t been a nobleman for very long.”
He cleared his throat awkwardly.
But more than that—
‘The Pottery of the Heavenly Immortal?’
What was so remarkable about it that he was captivated like this?
I was curious.
Without thinking, I stretched my neck forward to get a better look.
“They say you can only find such things in the Founding Dynasty….”
“It’s National Treasure No. 1, after all.”
“Indeed, that much is evident.”
The marquis nodded, his eyes never leaving the ceramic.
I nodded along with him.
Only findable in the Founding Dynasty, a treasure of unimaginable worth….
And it was, undeniably, beautiful.
One step forward. Then another.
Desmond drifted toward the pottery as though entranced.
“Truly a priceless thing.”
His rounded belly bumped against the edge of the display stand.
‘This is really about to end badly.’
It was precisely that moment of uneasy dread.
“Soon this will be mine….”
Another step forward.
Before the sentence had finished, his body lurched.
“What—?”
They say accidents always come without warning.
The marquis lost his footing and began to fall.
He’d evidently stepped on the trailing hem of that ostentatious cloak.
“No—!”
Every eye went wide with horror.
The Pottery of the Heavenly Immortal was directly in his path.
I watched in real time as Desmond’s face drained of all color.
“No, this can’t—!”
The marquis flailed his arms desperately, trying with all his strength to catch his balance.
But the weight was already past the point of no return.
His body toppled inexorably forward.
And in that same instant,
Crash!
A sickening sound echoed out, and the pottery flew into the air.
The pottery bounced off the stand, tracing a perfect arc through the air as it fell—slowly, so slowly that the image seared itself onto my retinas.
‘If that breaks….’
I glanced urgently at the Head Maid.
Eyes wide, mouth agape—her entire body was screaming shock.
That alone told me everything.
If it broke, we were in serious trouble.
‘That can’t happen…!’
I want to live a long, long life!
Without time to think, I calculated where the pottery would land.
One step, two steps, five pillars from the window’s edge.
The pottery curved through its arc, then began to fall faster—
Screee—
“Vanillin!”
I ran.
The Head Maid cried out in alarm, but I didn’t hear her.
“Nngh….”
All I could see was the pottery above my head.
Focus, Vanillin.
You can do this…!
Remember when you caught the plate Dai threw.
I drew in a breath.
Arms spread wide, body braced to absorb the impact—
“Come here…!”
Catch—
I caught it perfectly.
The pottery nestled gently into my arms, as if settling into a cocoon.
“Haa….”
I exhaled in relief.
Then, with a slightly awkward smile, I held up the pottery to show it off.
“Thankfully… it’s fine.”
“…….”
Silence fell.
Dozens of eyes fixed upon me all at once.
“…….”
The quiet was almost eerie.
Why, why…?
I slowly lowered my arms.
As I lifted my head, the pottery still cradled against me, my eyes locked directly with the Third Prince’s.
“…….”
Was I imagining it?
His gaze wasn’t fixed on the pottery—it was fixed on me.
Not surprise, not anger…
Something that seemed to weigh, to measure—a gaze oddly profound.
Cold sweat beaded on my skin.
“I… I shouldn’t have caught it…?”
My voice trembled with anxiety.
The Third Prince, who had been watching me silently, smiled faintly and shook his head.
“No.”
A low, gentle voice.
“You did very well indeed.”
He approached slowly and extended one large, steady hand.
I carefully handed him the pottery.
Our fingertips brushed lightly.
Though it lasted only a moment, the sensation lingered with strange clarity—so I rubbed my hand discreetly against my side.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Um… no….”
A tender question, oddly weighted.
What exactly wasn’t hurt?
The pottery?
…Or me?
It was hard to tell without a subject.
Just as I stood there gaping, unable to respond,
the Head Maid finally came to her senses and rushed over.
“P-please allow me to check for any injuries or damage, Your Highness.”
“Well, it doesn’t seem like there are any.”
The Third Prince shrugged and smiled.
Only then did I realize I’d been holding my breath, and I let it out.
Ah, so the question about whether it was all right had been about the pottery after all.
I was quite frightened there for a moment….
As the Third Prince handed over the pottery, the maids rushed forward to examine its condition.
“The surface—how does it look?”
“Perfect. No glaze is chipped, no scratches or damage, not even the smallest blemish.”
“Vanillin caught it perfectly.”
“That little thing…. A miracle, truly.”
The Head Maid drew a long breath.
Whether by the grace of fortune or fate, the pottery remained completely intact.
The Third Prince smiled as though relieved.
“What a relief indeed. Heaven itself has been kind to us.”
“Indeed, Your Highness.”
“What a true blessing.”
The maids echoed their agreement, awash in relief.
Everyone seemed convinced this had been an unfortunate accident, and they were simply grateful to have escaped harm.
But.
‘How frightening….’
The truth was,
I couldn’t accept the Third Prince’s smile at face value.
Because I had seen it.
‘He stepped on the hem of his cloak.’
Just before Desmond fell.
The Third Prince had deliberately trodden on his cloak.

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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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