I Was Hired by the Dark Prince for My Life's Worth - Chapter 34

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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 34. The Fall
As chaos seized the crowd, a familiar footstep echoed slowly across the stage.
I lifted my head as if entranced.
Beneath the moonlight, Yurian ascended the stage with an unhurried stride.
A flawless, beautiful smile.
An elegant countenance that seemed impossible to reconcile with someone who had just hurled a man and his tent into the air.
…Wait. Hold on.
‘Your Highness threw the baron?’
Surely not.
Really?
[A slip of the hand. My apologies.]
A lie.
I laughed awkwardly, my gaze darting between his hand and Baron Brennon.
The baron tumbled across the ground, his voice rising in raw anguish.
“Nngh! Mmmph!”
Cloth was crammed into his mouth.
The sounds he made were less human speech than the furious grunts of an enraged boar.
In other words—spectacularly loud.
Yurian glanced down at the thrashing baron with amusement, then smiled softly.
“How terribly rude of me.”
Though his face conveyed not the slightest hint of remorse.
He smoothly took the amplification device from the announcer’s hands.
Then, surveying the Square with measured composure, he spoke in an even tone.
“My deepest apologies for the disturbance to those enjoying the festival.”
His drowsy, affectionate voice drifted gently across the entire Square.
The crowd stared, mesmerized.
Those who had been clamorously confused mere moments before now hung upon his every word.
“However, some rather intriguing facts have come to light regarding Ruern.”
At his words, all eyes naturally turned toward the baron.
The manacles on his wrists, his soiled clothes, the gag wedged in his mouth—
Murmurs rippled through the crowd with palpable interest.
“Intriguing facts? What could those be?”
“And why is the baron bound like that?”
“Who is he, anyway?”
“…Doesn’t he resemble the sea god from those paintings?”
A wave of speculation rolled through the gathering.
“Mmph! Mngh!”
Baron Brennon thrashed, his wild eyes darting about.
He scrubbed his face forcefully against the ground several times until he managed to dislodge the cloth from his mouth.
His eyes bloodshot, he bellowed across the Square.
“You insane bastards—!”
His voice rang out deafeningly.
“How dare you lay hands on me? Release these bonds at once!”
He thrashed and ranted wildly.
Ugh, ah.
I edged quietly behind Yurian.
He suppressed a smile, his lips curving up ever so slightly.
Then Olivia and Rein emerged slowly from backstage.
In sharp contrast to the disheveled baron, they were impeccably composed.
“Father.”
Olivia’s smile was ice-cold.
“Though I suppose I needn’t address you that way any longer.”
“You—you… Olivia!”
“How does it feel to be restored to your rightful place?”
“You damned wretch!”
The baron lunged forward, eyes rolling back, but the pirates kept him firmly in check.
Held fast on all sides, he struggled—a sight that might have looked pitiable to those ignorant of the truth.
Every gaze in the Square converged upon the two figures at once.
Rein stepped forward with quiet dignity.
“Good evening, everyone.”
The face revealed beneath the moonlight was nothing like the shabby slave’s visage from before.
He stood with a composure so striking, so perfectly composed, that when he opened his mouth, the very air seemed to hold still.
“The current Baron Poltz Brennon is a fake.”
Whoosh—
“And I, Rein Brennon, the true heir, greet you all.”
The sea breeze rode in on the waves, tousling his hair.
The Baron’s face flushed crimson, as though it might split open.
“Don’t mock me, you wretched thing who crawled through the slave markets!”
“You were the one who made me a slave.”
The crowd stirred.
Olivia laughed coldly, her voice dripping with contempt.
“Didn’t you know? Those of us born to the sea never forget a grudge.”
“You rotting—”
“Someone you tried to kill has simply come back.”
Rein stepped forward, positioning himself in front of her, and shook his head in a gesture that said enough.
Then he continued, his tone measured and even.
“This man murdered my parents—the true Baron and Baroness of House Brennon—and stole their titles.”
“That’s a lie!”
“I sold myself to slavers for a high price and squandered House Brennon’s treasures on a lavish life.”
“Shut your mouth!”
The Baron shrieked, eyes rolling back.
“Evidence? Do you have any evidence?!”
Breathing roughly, he wheeled toward the crowd, his voice dripping poison.
“Surely you’re not foolish enough to believe the word of these wretches! It’s all fabrication—a scheme this girl cooked up because she covets my position!”
Confusion spread across the faces of the gathered crowd.
Uncertain, wavering expressions—as though no one knew whom to believe.
In truth, it was hardly reasonable to expect strangers to accept that the Baron before them was an impostor just because some newcomer said so.
The real reason she and Rein hadn’t made their move against the Baron in three years, despite gathering evidence, lay precisely here.
But.
Tap.
Yurian’s fingertips brushed lightly against mine.
Startled, I looked up, and he offered me a knowing smile.
Yes—this time, he was here with us.
Yurian, the imperial prince beloved by all.
“And so, I took the liberty of making some inquiries.”
Yurian spoke slowly, deliberately.
At the sound of his gentle voice, the entire Square fell silent in an instant.
He drew a single sheet of paper from inside his garments.
Rustle.
“This is the Imperial Investigation Report concerning House Brennon.”
…When did he get that?
My eyes widened.
Yurian unfolded the paper without a trace of hesitation.
“It has been confirmed that the current Baron, who has been acting as the patriarch of House Brennon, murdered the previous Baron Brennon, forged his identity, and unlawfully seized the title.”
“Now, wait a moment—”
“Furthermore, persistent evidence of Smuggling and Illegal Slave Trading have been documented at Ruern Harbor under his tenure.”
The Baron’s face drained of all color, turning ashen.
Yurian turned to the next page without missing a beat.
“Additionally, the true heir, Rein Brennon, thought to be deceased, is confirmed to be alive—”
“No, that’s not…”
“And through the Seal Ring bearing the family crest and the Previous Patriarch’s Handwritten Mandate, his rightful Succession Rights have been verified and hereby confirmed.”
“That’s a lie!!”
The Baron let out a sound of pure anguish.
“Impossible—the Imperial Court’s investigators couldn’t have arrived this quickly!”
Right?
How many days had it been since we sent the evidence? And the report was already here?
‘Could it be…?’
No, surely not.
I found myself staring up at Yurian in a daze.
But Yurian was far too composed to show even a hint of guilt.
“Is that so?”
He smiled softly.
“You’ve been fortunate. This time it went quite quickly.”
The crowd had already begun to murmur.
“If the Imperial Court investigated it, isn’t that settled?”
“Good heavens….”
“So we’ve been taking orders from a pirate all this time? What an age we live in!”
Sharp gazes turned toward the baron.
Completely undone, the baron shook his head.
“No…. No! I really am Brennon!”
He struggled to say something more, but—
“Should you have any grievances, I will hear your testimony and evidence in court.”
With a gentle smile, Yurian spoke, while the pirates silenced him and dragged him away.
Yurian laughed.
“Well then, farewell.”
His smile was radiant enough to thaw even the most frozen of hearts.
* * *
The festival ended in spectacular fashion, though not as anyone had predicted.
Baron Brennon was handed over directly to the investigators, and Ruern Harbor was turned upside down overnight.
The baron’s servants ran about frantically organizing ledgers and warehouses, while the entire harbor fell into chaos as those involved in smuggling were arrested.
And I was—
“…Your Highness.”
“Yes?”
“When exactly did you receive that report?”
I was regarding Yurian with eyes full of suspicion.
Yurian smiled and lowered his head slightly.
Then, in a voice barely audible beneath the noisy din around us, he whispered near my ear.
“Why ask when you already know?”
“So you really did….”
“Even the Imperial Investigation team couldn’t analyze documents and deliver them here in just two days.”
So he really did…!
I looked at him with eyes tinged by a sense of betrayal.
Our gazes met exactly at eye level.
“Then what was that yesterday?”
“Well, to be precise, I never said ‘Imperial Investigation team’ in the first place.”
Yurian gave a slight shrug.
I stood there slack-jawed.
Now that he mentioned it….
— This is the Imperial Investigation Report on House Brennon.
He’d said “Imperial Investigation,” not “Imperial Investigation team”…!
“Since I am myself the Imperial representative, there’s nothing untrue about it.”
“Th-that’s fraud….”
I stepped back, my expression weary.
This man must never be made an enemy. Never.
I was a hundred times right to swear a contract with him, even staking my soul.
Yurian found my expression amusing and chuckled softly.
“What’s that look in your eyes?”
“The expression of someone grateful to be in your service, Your Highness.”
“Quite foolish.”
Really, he goes too far.
I was standing there with my lips pursed indignantly when—
“Vanillin.”
At the familiar voice, I turned to find Rein standing there, somehow looking rather composed.
With eyes still clouded by sorrow, he looked at me carefully and spoke.
“Could we talk alone for a moment?”

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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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