If I Were Reborn, I Wouldn’t Marry You - Chapter 143

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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 143
After that day, we bribed a Junior Attendant from the Crown Prince’s Palace.
‘The closest aides were under such strict surveillance that we couldn’t even approach them.’
I hadn’t expected much from someone of such low rank, but surprisingly, the Attendant proved quite capable.
He quickly contacted Roderick after witnessing a Young Servant being “disposed of”—punished for theft and left clinging to life by a thread.
Fortunately, the timing aligned perfectly, and we managed to save the Young Servant before death claimed him.
After we hastily completed emergency treatment and confirmed the Young Servant’s pallid complexion, we moved to another location to hear the Junior Attendant’s report.
“Apparently, the charge was that he stole a precious ornament gifted from a Foreign Country.”
“That makes no sense.”
I immediately refuted the Junior Attendant’s words.
The boy, who appeared to be in his early teens, wore clothes suggesting he performed menial tasks as a Young Servant.
His circumstances seemed far different from those Young Servants trained in palace duties from childhood to become trusted aides.
He would never have even entered the rooms where such precious items were kept.
“He was framed.”
Leonhardt patted my shoulder lightly as if to calm me, speaking in a measured tone.
I took a deep breath and composed myself.
The wary Junior Attendant carefully continued his report.
“Originally, everyone working in the Crown Prince’s Palace—from the lowest kitchen Maid to the stable master’s assistant—had their backgrounds thoroughly verified. But starting at some point, people from poor families without backing began to be hired.”
“Around three years ago?”
That was roughly when Prince had stopped venturing into the Underworld.
If our suspicions were correct and he needed easy targets to dispose of, it would have started around three years ago.
The Junior Attendant added with a startled expression, as if amazed at our insight.
“Yes, that’s right. We thought the young nobles all grew tired of trying not to displease The Crown Prince and simply fled, so he brought in more malleable people instead. Such rumors circulated fairly often, and desperate individuals are more likely to demonstrate loyalty in any way possible.”
“That’s The Crown Prince’s method—spreading plausible rumors to obscure the truth.”
“Has this happened frequently?”
The Junior Attendant, who had been flustered by my cold, sarcastic expression, seemed relieved when Leonhardt posed the question and answered accordingly.
“Since I’m merely low-ranking, I don’t know much, but this certainly isn’t the first time.”
The Crown Prince was originally a strict master who inflicted severe punishments even for minor mistakes.
He added that among those he knew had been dismissed, some might have suffered in this very manner.
Though I had suspected as much, hearing directly that there were likely more victims left a bitter taste.
“From now on, focus on investigating whether more people have disappeared from the Crown Prince’s Palace.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll do my best to uncover this matter.”
The Junior Attendant repeatedly pledged his utmost effort before departing.
We then made our way back to the room that had become a temporary infirmary to check on the Young Servant’s condition.
“Mm…”
A soft groan escaped as he was just waking.
Seeing him thrashing about—whether trying to flee or simply to rise—the Physician attending beside him assisted the Young Servant’s movements.
“Is it alright for him to get up?”
“This much should be fine.”
The Physician added a few more words as if taking the opportunity to speak.
“There’s no threat to his life, but he may experience some lingering aftereffects. Since he’s still young, we can only hope time will heal him.”
In the meantime, the Young Servant, struggling to sit upright, leaned against the headboard of the bed and opened his eyes with a hazy expression, intoxicated by the medicinal vapors.
“Are you alright?”
Though the Physician had assured me he would be fine, what I saw with my own eyes painted a far grimmer picture.
As I asked with concern, the Young Servant squinted as if trying to focus, murmuring softly.
“An angel? Have I died and come to heaven?”
“You’re alive, and this is Duke Roderick’s Mansion.”
Leonhardt answered in his characteristically blunt tone.
Though it was merely the delirious rambling of someone in pain, he seemed displeased by what the Young Servant had said.
I pinched Leonhardt’s forearm surreptitiously.
‘He’s becoming increasingly childish.’
When I even shot him a sharp glare, Leonhardt briefly met my eyes as if asking why, then turned away and continued his questioning with an unperturbed expression.
“Do you remember what happened before you collapsed?”
At Leonhardt’s question, the Young Servant began trembling with fear.
“I didn’t steal anything. Sob.”
He struggled to swallow his tears, but it proved difficult.
Having barely opened his eyes, I thought he might lose consciousness again.
I gently chided Leonhardt to lighten the mood.
“He’s frightened because you look so intimidating.”
Leonhardt looked quite aggrieved, but seeing the Young Servant’s trembling ease somewhat once I spoke suggested my assessment wasn’t entirely off the mark.
I waited for the Young Servant to calm down before asking gently.
“I know you didn’t steal anything. But we don’t know exactly what happened to you. So, if you’re able, would you tell us?”
His body’s trembling subsided, but now tears flowed more fiercely.
The Young Servant wept profusely, tears streaming down his face like raindrops, and pleaded desperately.
“I’ll tell you everything. Please, just let me live.”
“I was planning to let you live regardless.”
Leonhardt’s indifferent tone seemed to reassure him, for the Young Servant’s lips trembled a few times before he began recounting the entire incident.
“On that date and at that time, I never went near the space where the ornaments were kept. I was secretly hiding and resting instead.”
The Young Servant made excuses, saying that many of the children he’d been working with recently had been dismissed, leaving him with far too much work.
Having lived as the lowest of the low in the solemn Imperial Palace, the Young Servant seemed burdened by confessing his own negligence even in this situation, watching our expressions carefully.
“When there’s too much work, it’s only natural to want to slack off.”
When I accepted his explanation with a smile rather than reproach, he seemed relieved and continued speaking.
“But then that ornament appeared in my room…”
As the subsequent events came back to him, the Young Servant’s complexion turned ashen, and he looked as though he might collapse again.
I asked a question to redirect the Young Servant’s attention elsewhere.
“You mentioned earlier that many servants had been dismissed. Do you know what reason was given for sending them away?”
Fortunately, the Young Servant, having regained his composure, answered my question in a slow tone.
“They said they tried to steal secrets from the Crown Prince’s Palace.”
The first one caught was a boy named Tommy, and once he was discovered, his accomplices unraveled one after another.
The Young Servant before me had never been close to that group, so he managed to escape unscathed.
“But those kids wouldn’t have stolen any secrets either.”
The Young Servant added grounds to his excuse-laden words.
“Those kids only threw their weight around among the other servants, but they were just doing menial work. Just as I’ve never been near the corridor with the decorations, they wouldn’t know any secrets worth stealing either…. So why on earth would the Crown Prince….”
The Young Servant suddenly realized what I was implying and snapped his mouth shut with a gasp of shock.
But we had already heard everything we needed to hear.
“We need to find out what happened to those Young Servants who disappeared. Tell me whatever you remember about those children.”
Just as I was about to end the conversation to let him rest, the Young Servant stared directly at us with reddened eyes and asked.
“What will happen to them?”
He seemed to have guessed what might have become of the Young Servants who had been driven away for what they’d experienced.
At the same time, indignation and rage surged through him, and he trembled while clenching his teeth.
“Why? Do you want revenge?”
At Leonhardt’s question, the Young Servant hesitated for a long moment before finally nodding.
“Then wait. Sit by the river and wait, and your enemy’s corpse will float downstream.”
Even at this blunt consolation, the fury etched across the Young Servant’s face only intensified.
But since there was nothing he could do, he could only suppress his rage.
Seeing the depth of anger clouding the Young Servant’s face, I carefully made a proposal.
“If we can guarantee your safety, could you testify against the Crown Prince?”
The Young Servant nodded slowly.

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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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