I Was Hired by the Dark Prince for My Life's Worth - Chapter 60

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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 60. Am I Langslot?
My voice trembled.
I couldn’t breathe, and my vision blurred.
My grip on Yurian’s sleeve tightened until my fingertips went white.
‘It’s him.’
There was no doubt.
How could I ever forget?
— Found the children. Dispose of them now.
A cold, emotionless voice.
— Run, Vanillin. Hurry!
My brother’s corpse, discarded like garbage in a corner of the street.
— Brother…?
The reek of blood.
I ran with all my might, hid myself and wept silently, and lived on helplessly.
The monster that hunted us so relentlessly… why was he in the Imperial Defense Force?
“Vanillin.”
My body went rigid.
I wanted to run.
It felt as though that nightmare was coming back to life.
“Vanillin?”
I felt like a frog face-to-face with a predator.
I gasped for breath with one hand clamped over my mouth.
Then it happened.
[It’s all right.]
“……!”
A low voice that burrowed into my ear.
I lifted my head.
It was Yurian, of course.
Whole… mine.
Yurian’s gaze moved to my hand.
He covered my fist, which was gripping his sleeve with all its strength, and held it gently.
My heart, which had been pounding so fiercely, calmed a little at the familiar, lukewarm touch.
[Stay right there. I’ll keep you hidden.]
I slowly took a deep breath and nodded.
I liked this composure.
His words had never contained a lie, so he would hide me again this time.
I could be certain of it.
He smiled at the Imperial Defense Force as though nothing had happened.
“Pleased to meet you, knight. Your name?”
“First-class Knight Leona Berk of the Imperial Defense Force.”
The red-haired knight bowed her head dutifully.
“The Fourth Prince departed first and asked me to deliver this to you.”
She produced a small letter envelope from her breast while still bowed and extended it.
“The fourth, you say?”
“Yes. He said it must be delivered to you personally.”
I felt the gaze of the nobles turning toward us.
The Fourth Prince was the one who had caused all this chaos.
They must have been curious about what he could have said.
Yurian glanced at me.
Then instead of taking the envelope, he pushed it toward the knight.
“Would you read it for me instead?”
“Would I…, sir?”
“I’ve been in the flames for a while, and my vision is a bit blurred. I would be grateful.”
“Understood.”
The knight’s expression grew awkward, but she could not bring herself to refuse the request.
Her hands moved carefully to break the seal.
The nobles around us swallowed hard.
What emerged was a single sheet of paper.
“This is….”
The knight’s eyes wavered.
She read the letter in a trembling voice.
“Brother, I’m sorry about the explosives. I’m going to lie low for a while, so don’t look for me…. Kyle.”
“That damned bastard!”
Before she could even finish speaking, outrage erupted among the assembled nobility.
Their faces flushed crimson, breath hissing between clenched teeth.
The knight’s expression turned to ice.
“Who dares show such contempt for the imperial bloodline?”
At Leona Berk’s clipped tone, the nobles flinched.
Insulting the imperial family was a capital crime, after all.
Yet surely they would harbor resentment now—toward the Fourth Prince, and the Second Prince standing behind him.
The nobles exchanged glances, fury still burning in their eyes.
Leona Berk stared down at the letter in silence.
Then she bowed her head toward Yurian.
“I will report this to the higher authorities.”
“…I should have read it alone. That was my mistake.”
“Not at all. It’s important that all matters be handled according to protocol.”
She tucked the letter away, then suddenly turned her gaze.
Her gray eyes swept across Yurian’s shoulder.
And in that instant—
Her gaze fell upon me.
My heart plummeted.
‘No, no, no….’
I instinctively pressed myself harder against Yurian’s back, shrinking away.
Did that small movement look suspicious?
Leona Berk’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“Who is that maid, Your Highness?”
Thump.
She took a step closer.
“She looks somehow familiar….”
“……!”
All the blood seemed to drain from my body.
I didn’t run. I couldn’t. Instead I clutched at Yurian’s sleeve, trembling violently.
The warmth beneath my fingers felt like the only thing in this world that could protect me.
“Leona Berk.”
Yurian smiled gently, cutting off her inquiry.
He stepped naturally forward, his broad frame completely screening me from view.
“There are many wounded here.”
His eyes, curved like crescents, turned toward her.
“We can speak of this another time, surely.”
He gestured around at the surroundings.
Flames still consumed the Mansion, not yet extinguished, and groans of pain echoed from every direction.
“Shouldn’t we tend to the injured first?”
“…….”
Only then did Leona Berk seem to regain her senses, looking around at the devastation.
Nobles bleeding as they lay fallen, servants with their legs trapped beneath collapsed debris, people unable to stop coughing after inhaling smoke.
“My apologies.”
She bowed at once.
Then, as though drawn away from me, she turned on her heel.
“All Defense Force personnel—rescue the wounded first!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
At her sharp command, the knights scattered in unison.
Leona Berk did the same.
“I shall take my leave now.”
She saluted Yurian respectfully, then turned toward where the other injured lay.
Only once she had disappeared from view did my heartbeat begin to steady.
“I….”
I was alive….
I released my grip on Yurian’s sleeve and covered my mouth with both hands.
My legs simply gave way beneath me.
‘I was so tense I think I might be sick….’
I sank into the grass and caught my breath.
I wanted nothing more than to distance myself from this place, from her, as quickly as possible.
Yurian, watching me quietly, extended his hand.
“Shall we go back?”
As if he’d read my very heart.
A lump rose in my throat. Tears threatened to spill.
How did he always know exactly what I needed to hear?
I nodded.
And I took his hand.
“Let’s go home.”
Home.
To the Prince’s Palace — cold yet comforting — where we could be alone together.
He pulled me gently upright.
“To the plush bed Vanillin loves.”
He smiled beautifully and began to walk.
I said nothing and let myself be drawn along by his hand.
The lukewarm touch of his palm wrapped around my cold one was the only proof that this moment was real.
* * *
……!
I jolted awake.
The sun hung high in the sky.
Yesterday….
I’d barely managed to bathe after returning at dawn before collapsing into sleep.
Yurian’s place on the bed was cold.
He must have dealt with various matters since morning.
Fragmented memories surfaced.
Kidnapping. A hidden space. Fire. And a red-haired knight.
“Leona Berk….”
“You’re awake.”
Flinch.
I turned toward the voice in alarm.
“Your Highness…?”
“We have some matters to discuss.”
He was right.
I nodded.
Clink.
He poured black tea into an elegant glass.
“Come, sit.”
“…Yes.”
I hastily tidied the bedding and settled across from him, then unburdened myself of everything I’d been holding back.
“I was going to tell you once you returned, Your Highness….”
About seeing the classified documents.
Why I’d begun to doubt the Langslot Ducal Clan.
About meeting the First Prince in the library.
And even the story of my brother’s death and Leona Berk.
— From now on, report everything so I can know it all. Don’t presume to judge what you can handle alone.
Because I never wanted to worry or disappoint him again, I told him truly everything.
“…And that’s how only I survived.”
“I see.”
Yurian’s response was measured.
He simply listened, from beginning to end, never once interrupting.
Slide.
He pushed a teacup toward me.
“Your hands are shaking.”
“…Ah.”
When had it started?
“Thank you.”
I wrapped my hands around the cup.
It was warm.
My fingertips began to thaw, bit by bit.
Yurian said nothing while I took a sip of tea.
Only once my ragged breathing had begun to settle did he speak slowly.
“While Vanillin slept, I made some inquiries.”
Clink.
He set down his teacup with grace.
“Leona Berk. She’s been deployed in nearly every classified Imperial incident.”
“Then….”
“The Langslot Rebellion Incident was no exception. I’m told she led the suppression forces.”
My stomach twisted.
Like scattered puzzle pieces clicking into place, one by one.
I gripped the teacup tightly.
“Could I really be… Langslot?”
“Perhaps. Or perhaps not.”
He sipped his black tea slowly, then set the cup down without a sound.
His tone was calm—neither offering false hope nor cutting off possibility outright.
“If Vanillin wishes, I can confirm it for you.”
His pale amber eyes turned toward me quietly.
“I’ll take you to the Langslot Mansion.”

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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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