I Was Hired by the Dark Prince for My Life's Worth - Chapter 9

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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 9. Soul, Contract, Danger!
“Oh….”
Wait?
I opened my mouth slightly, bewildered.
“Really?”
Now that Dai was dead, there was no one left to investigate my brother’s case.
Truth be told, so much time had passed that I’d already resigned myself to giving up….
It felt like receiving a gift I’d never expected.
“I can’t promise you anything. My own affairs will always take precedence over Banilin’s.”
“That’s fine with me!”
I answered at once.
Well, Dai had always been the same way.
He’d constantly pushed my brother’s case to the back of the line, saying his more profitable work came first.
…And yet.
“I’m rather ignorant of how the world works….”
I couldn’t muster the courage to investigate on my own.
Because Dai had told me so.
That I was deficient, incapable of doing anything alone.
I rose from my seat and bowed deeply toward Yurian.
“I’m grateful for your help.”
“Very well.”
Yurian answered tersely, as though the whole matter bored him.
He wrote into the Contract Document: “Yurian Osbalt shall investigate Banilin’s family affairs.”
It was no mere promise of words, unlike with Dai….
It felt like a dream.
After that, we changed locations.
He deposited me at the Imperial Prince’s Palace, then constructed a perfect alibi in Geonkuk-yeon before returning.
Then we went over the details again.
“If you let slip so much as a word about me—even by accident—the contract becomes null and void immediately. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes….”
Of course, adjusting was merely the euphemism; whenever he made a demand, all I did was nod.
Refining clauses, paring down sentences, erasing loopholes—hours passed in this labor.
Chirp, chirp—
Dawn broke, and the faint songs of birds began to drift in one by one.
“Wake up, Banilin.”
“Ah…!”
When had I fallen asleep?
The moment my eyes opened, Yurian held up the seal.
“I’m pressing it now.”
“Oh….”
There was no time to read it again before—Bang!—the stamp came down.
Golden light poured across the Contract Document.
“Then I….”
I drew my finger across the blade, a shallow cut.
Crimson blood fell onto the paper like petals blooming,
and burst—
Light erupted outward.
With a click, I felt the sensation of invisible shackles fastening around my heart.
Without need for words, I felt that Yurian’s soul and mine were now bound together.
“Banilin is now mine.”
Yurian smiled and rose slowly from his seat.
It was the literal truth.
Everything I possessed now belonged to him.
“Nominally, you’ll become my Exclusive Maidservant.”
A Cream-colored Coat pressed into my hands.
I instinctively dressed him in it.
It fit him perfectly.
“From now on, only Banilin enters my chambers.”
As I bowed and fastened the buttons, my heartbeat quickened for no reason.
“Everything of mine is likewise yours.”
It was a line that could have been mistaken for a confession, if they hadn’t been bound by contract.
“Follow me, Banilin.”
Yurian fastened his coat and smiled softly.
“Today is when we have a diplomatic meeting with envoys from the neighboring kingdoms.”
As if it were nothing at all.
* * *
“On behalf of Osbalt, I offer my gratitude to all our honored guests for gracing the Geonkuk-yeon celebration with your presence.”
Yurian spoke gracefully as he drew the bowstring taut.
Twang—thwack!
The arrow struck the deer’s neck with perfect precision.
“An excellent shot.”
“As befits the Third Prince.”
Flattery laced with servility poured in from all sides.
We were at the Imperial Third Hunting Ground.
When I asked why he’d chosen to hold the meeting here, Yurian smiled gently.
— Hollow-headed fools can’t sit still in a conference room for long.
I’d thought he had a severe case of misanthropy…
But standing here now, I couldn’t say he was wrong.
“Your Highness, might I ask your counsel on one matter?”
“Of course.”
“What must one do to expand territory as the Empire has done?”
Asking that of the Empire itself, and of a prince no less…
Yurian’s smile deepened.
“…One must strive for the nation and its people, I suppose.”
A textbook answer.
And then,
Twang—thwack!
Another perfect hit.
I clamped my mouth shut and forced a smile.
Now I understood why he’d chosen a hunting ground for the venue.
He was holding back the urge to dress them down, sublimating it instead into the hunt…
‘His own way of managing stress, I suppose.’
I stood one step behind him, befitting my position as his Exclusive Maidservant.
Yet mere hours ago, we had been strangers.
The sensation of having our souls bound was more blatant than I’d expected.
When he drew breath, my own breathing slowed without my knowing it,
and when he grew displeased, my mood swayed in sympathetic resonance.
‘I really can’t seem to adjust to this…’
It was my first time feeling so deeply connected to another person since I was five.
Well, my first time being forced into it by a Contract Document, anyway.
‘For now, work first.’
I could chase idle thoughts later, when I had time.
I set myself in motion.
My role was to assist Yurian.
I had to do my utmost to ensure this gathering proceeded smoothly.
I gestured quickly to the servants.
“Please bring out more game and prepare plenty of fresh arrows.”
“Yes, understood.”
I made sure to have everything Yurian might need prepared in advance,
“And please skip the wine today—serve grape juice instead.”
I removed the alcohol so that intoxication wouldn’t muddy the conversation.
“What do you mean, no wine at a hunt?”
If someone were to lodge such a complaint…
“Grape juice is said to greatly aid in masculine vigor, so we’ve prepared it specially—though I can certainly switch to wine if you’d prefer?”
I’d respond with graceful courtesy and a respectful smile, in a way no middle-aged man could refuse.
“…Masculine vigor?”
The envoy who’d voiced the complaint stiffened for a moment, then coughed awkwardly to cover his embarrassment.
“No, no. It’s fine. Since you’ve already prepared it, let’s go with this today.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
Perfect!
I let out a clear laugh.
Ah yes, the magic word: Masculinity.
Even Dai couldn’t get around that one. Hehehehe.
As I basked in that satisfaction, brushing my hair back, a short burst of laughter erupted near my ear.
“Really, Banilin?”
It was Yurian.
He tilted his head playfully, raising a glass of grape juice to his lips.
“Does grape juice help with masculinity?”
“Ah….”
Oh no, this was bad.
“No….”
I mumbled, avoiding his eyes.
Would he hit me for deceiving a noble?
I looked up at him anxiously—
“Haha!”
Yurian suddenly burst into laughter.
It was a captivating laugh, like a cascade of white plum blossoms blooming in succession.
“That’s amusing.”
I stared at his face with wide eyes.
I’d never seen him like this before.
Laughing so hard his eyes curved into crescents.
‘That’s… destructively charming….’
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from that lethal beauty.
If only his personality matched, he’d look just like a prince from a fairy tale.
After laughing boyishly for some time, Yurian shook his head and turned his attention elsewhere.
“Thanks to you, those fools look even more pathetic.”
The delegation grinned at Yurian, oblivious that they’d just been insulted.
“Today’s proceedings have gone far more smoothly than usual.”
He looked at me, his eyes crinkling.
A smile full of unguarded satisfaction—the kind he didn’t show to others.
It had enough power to make me believe, if only for a moment, that I was someone special.
The man chuckled softly and gave my shoulder a light tap with his fingertips.
“Keep up the good work.”
With those words, he turned back toward the royals and the delegation.
The hunting pace had slowed noticeably from before.
He no longer bothered with unnecessary arrows.
Thump-thump.
My heart pounded in my chest.
‘I’ve never received praise like that before….’
Was it because I’d only ever been scolded under Dai’s command, no matter what I did?
His words settled heavy somewhere deep in my chest.
I worked a little harder than before, and the meeting proceeded smoothly.
The delegation, now sober, finally began a conversation that made sense, and Yurian seized the opening with precision.
Gently, yet without yielding an inch.
It had been a successful meeting.
‘…It’s almost over now.’
Yurian rose from his seat with a satisfied expression, and the delegation began gathering their coats.
“Phew.”
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding—
“…t.”
“……?”
“Osbalt—!”
What? What is this?
I turned my head toward the sound.
Crash! Splash!
A cloaked figure tore through the game animals and burst from the tall grass, drenched in blood.
“I avenge my parents!”
His blade gleamed with chilling brightness.
His gaze was locked directly on Yurian.
“……!”
My heart plummeted.
A sharp, pulling sensation seared through my chest from within.
The Soul.
The Contract.
‘This is dangerous—!’
There was no time to think, no moment to reconsider.
I hurled myself at the assailant.

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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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