I Was Hired by the Dark Prince for My Life's Worth - Chapter 37

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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 37. Wholly on My Side
Splash—
Cold seawater lapped against my feet.
I blinked slowly, my lashes still dripping wet.
“Ugh… my eyes.”
The salt stung fiercely, blurring my vision.
Tears spilled down my cheeks.
I wiped the moisture away with both palms and looked around.
The brilliance of the white sand and the deep blue sea… and.
“We’re done for….”
Wreckage from a shattered sailing ship lay scattered everywhere.
Crates and wooden planks tumbled in the surf, pulled back and forth by the waves.
Then the memories came rushing back.
‘We hit the rocks.’
A sudden whirlpool of churning water had torn the ship to pieces.
The crew scattered in all directions, and my last memory was clinging tightly to him….
“…Wait, where is he?”
I jerked upright, scanning the beach frantically.
Mercifully, Yurian lay sprawled not far from me.
I scrambled to my feet.
My sodden skirts clung to my legs, hampering my steps.
“Your Highness!”
I rushed across the sand and shook his shoulders.
“Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Tears welled up unbidden.
I checked his wet clothing and chest frantically, searching for injuries.
Thankfully, there was no blood.
His breathing was steady.
…Which was precisely the problem.
“…But are you sleeping right now?”
“You’re being loud.”
He answered without opening his eyes, and all the strength drained from me at once.
He was fine, truly fine… but—
“You frightened me….”
“I was merely resting my eyes. The dramatics are all yours, Vanillin.”
As if that explanation made any sense.
I stood speechless, my lips parting and closing uselessly.
We’d just survived a shipwreck.
Debris was scattered everywhere.
The two of us had washed ashore on some godforsaken island…!
“How can you be so calm about this?”
Not a trace of alarm on his face.
At my question, he opened his eyes slowly.
His golden eyes gleamed lazily in the full sunlight.
“If I’d known this was coming, I should have wept first.”
“That’s not what I mean… we’ve just survived a shipwreck.”
“A shipwreck, was it.”
He pushed himself up and settled onto one knee.
Fine sand clung to his calf, glittering in the light.
“I’d say it’s more accurate to call it an accident that happened to land us at our destination.”
“I’m sorry?”
What in the world—
“This is Valenta Island.”
“What?”
Here? This place?!
I blinked hard.
No matter how I looked at it, this was a desolate island.
If it had a name, shouldn’t there be people living here?
More than that—
I turned my head this way and that, surveying the island, then looked back at Yurian and asked.
“How did you know this is Valenta Island?”
There’s no sign marking where Valenta Island begins—what exactly did you see to figure that out?
Drip.
A clear drop of water fell from Yurian’s hair.
He laughed lightly, as though it were nothing.
“I’ve been here before.”
“…Here? Why would you come here?”
“Well, I suppose you could call it exile.”
“Ex-exile?”
The sainted prince of all creation, exiled to this place?
I looked up at him with eyes that demanded an explanation.
But Yurian seemed unwilling to elaborate. He simply shrugged and turned his gaze away.
His eyes drifted toward the dense palm grove ahead.
“It’s good to see it again after so long.”
……
His voice sounded oddly flat, so I thought better of pressing the matter.
According to what I’d heard in Luern, Valenta Island was a remote place marked only faintly on maps.
That perfectionist prince would never have neglected his studies, even as a child.
As I fell into thought, a cool breeze swept across my face, carrying the salt of the sea in every gust.
The smell of seaweed scattered across the sand tickled my nostrils.
Alone on this vast island with just him…
‘Wait—alone?’
I snapped back to awareness and looked around.
Nothing.
No one was there.
“Wh-what about the other sailors?”
There had been a dozen or more crew members aboard, yet not a single one was visible.
Yurian leisurely swept his wet hair back from his forehead.
“I couldn’t say.”
“Couldn’t say? What do you mean, couldn’t say…”
“They’re all pirates anyway. Being men of the sea, they won’t die.”
Was this really something to dismiss so easily?
I fidgeted with my fingers.
Though thinking about it, he wasn’t entirely wrong.
The crew of Brennon were seasoned veterans, all born and raised to the sea.
No, the real problem was—
‘Us…’
I swallowed hard.
No food. No water. No shelter.
Nothing at all.
“We should explore the island first.”
“Already so diligent.”
“If we just sit here, we’ll starve to death!”
“Your imagination is as vivid as ever, Vanillin.”
Yurian yawned languidly and lay back down on the sand.
Not a trace of concern in his manner.
“I won’t stop you. Safe travels.”
He closed his eyes beneath the sun, his expression drowsy.
He looked like someone on a leisurely vacation.
…A calamity at sea, and he acts like this?
No one knows we’re here, there’s no rescue party coming, and if we can’t find a way off, we’ll either spend our lives on this island or have to build a raft—and he acts like he’s on holiday!
His ease annoyed me so much that I kicked the sand irritably and turned away.
* * *
“…What if I end up living here forever?”
The interior of the island was denser than I’d expected.
Sunlight scattered in fine fragments through the thick green leaves.
Bird calls. Wind rustling. The sweet, unfamiliar scent of exotic fruit.
It was a landscape too beautiful to deserve the name “deserted island.”
“It’d be perfect as a resort, really.”
But it doesn’t seem like a place where people could actually live…
A swallow.
I swallowed my tears.
‘If I ended up living like this with him alone, what would I do?’
I was bound by the Soul Contract, so if a shark appeared, I’d throw myself in front of him each time….
Then he’d eventually notice the loophole in the contract and push me forward into every danger.
For instance, if a shark showed up….
“Vanillin, go see what it is.”
Or if a poisonous snake struck….
“Tell me if you get bitten.”
Something like that.
…A cunning man like him could absolutely do it.
“What are you thinking about so intently by yourself?”
“Eek!”
What, what, what, what, what was that.
I clutched my startled heart and spun around.
Yurian had followed after me without a sound.
My dilated pupils trembled.
“Why are you here… no, wait—did you hear all of it…?”
“Why? Were those thoughts I’m not supposed to hear?”
Yes… you’re right.
As I quivered and lifted the corners of my lips, Yurian narrowed his eyes.
Then he smiled like an angel.
“I heard every word.”
“…Oh no.”
“That Vanillin….”
Yurian drew out his words as if to gauge my reaction.
When he bent toward me slightly and met my gaze, my pupils quivered and I swallowed hard.
“Th-that Vanillin…?”
…….
He glanced down at the fruits nestled in my arms.
Then his lips curved upward.
“Is trying to poison me.”
“…I’m sorry?”
Yurian plucked one of the fruits from my embrace and tossed it lightly, catching it again.
“You can’t eat this one.”
“Really, truly?”
“Unless you want to be bedridden for three days straight, then by all means.”
“Oh….”
I looked down in alarm at the fruits in my arms.
I’d chosen them because I saw animals eating them, but this couldn’t be right.
‘…So how am I supposed to tell which ones are poisonous and which ones aren’t?’
I stirred through the fruits with a dejected expression.
Then Yurian removed a different fruit from my embrace.
And without hesitation—
Crunch.
He took a bite.
“Y-Your Highness?!”
I lunged forward and grabbed his arm.
His gaze flicked to my hand for a moment, then rose to meet mine.
“What if you get poisoned?!”
“I should taste your sincerity, shouldn’t I?”
“Why would you do that? Spit it out, please?”
“I’m joking. This one’s fine.”
…Really?
My heart plummeted and I stared at him tearfully.
He chewed calmly a few more times, then tilted his head slightly.
“You really are timid, aren’t you, Vanillin.”
“Anyone would be alarmed if you ate a fruit that might be poisonous….”
“I didn’t expect you to look quite so pale.”
Yurian let out a quiet laugh.
I let the tension drain from my body and released a slow breath.
“Well, of course. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
If something went wrong while our souls were bound, I had no idea what would become of me either.
That was what I meant by those words.
But then.
…….
Yurian’s expression shifted—caught off guard, as if the ground had shifted beneath him.
‘What…?’
I blinked.
Despite all the time we’d spent together, this was a face I’d never seen before.
The look of someone who had just heard something utterly unexpected.
He said nothing for a moment.
Whoooosh—
A breeze drifted slowly through the forest, threading between the trees.
His golden hair, tinged faintly with salt, scattered in the wind.
“You don’t want anything to happen to me?”
he asked.
“Is that because I’m truly on your side?”
His gaze drew slowly toward mine, holding it.

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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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