Episode 60
Narein narrowed his eyes and glared at him.
What was this guy scheming? Rosen chuckled quietly, amused by the boy’s desperate attempt to figure him out.
“You went to Aint recently and met the king, right?”
“…Was that your doing?”
“How did it feel? Meeting your mother for the first time in ten years?”
Mother?
Narein gave the crown prince a look that said, What the hell are you talking about? Mother? All of his family had been killed in last year’s subjugation campaign.
As he looked down at Narein, Rosen’s lips curved into a smile.
“They say the child the King of Aint lost ten years ago is actually you.”
“…And you expect me to believe that?”
“Whether you believe it or not doesn’t matter. We’ve already done the paternity test.”
Only then did Narein remember the prison guards collecting his hair and blood a few days ago. He’d thought it was some new torture method, but when nothing happened afterward, he’d pushed it from his mind.
Rosen waited for Narein to process the information before continuing.
“A despised barbarian suddenly turned into a prince… Or should I say, a noble prince who suddenly became a barbarian?”
“……”
“Do you remember anything from when you were little? I can’t figure out why you were in the North in the first place.”
Memory.
That word touched one of Narein’s deepest traumas.
He could never forget the filthy looks of the adults who once looked down at him from outside the bars, just like now.
But he kept his mouth shut. He couldn’t be sure whether the crown prince was telling the truth, and more than that, it was too much to accept that he might actually be a prince of Aint.
‘If you’re confused, just think simply.’
Ayl had once told him that. When things get too complicated to make sense of, just focus on the facts.
He’d said Ron was the best at doing that, if he remembered right.
In any case, Narein tried to clear his head, which felt like a tangled mess of threads, and turned his back on the crown prince, not wanting to hear any more.
“Think you can do it well?”
“I have to!”
Rose was full of energy from the morning. I tied the ribbon at the back of her waist and told her to do her best.
Today was her first day working in the Inner Palace. To support her, I’d stayed at the government quarters with her last night. She’d seemed restless and couldn’t sleep well, but surprisingly, her condition didn’t look bad this morning.
“A secret mission, huh? I’m so excited.”
“Just be careful. Nobody really knows what kind of person the emperor is.”
“Of course. I may look like this, but I’ve been a lady-in-waiting for ten years. I’m a veteran.”
Even so, going into the Inner Palace, where no rumors ever escaped, wasn’t something for the faint-hearted.
There were certainly staff working there, but they said nothing about what they saw or heard inside. Even mentioning it made them clam up as if someone would kill them otherwise.
I held her slightly trembling hand tightly. I trusted her enough to give her this mission, but I couldn’t help worrying.
“If it’s too much, just run out. His Highness the Crown Prince promised he’d protect you.”
“Got it. You need to get to work too. Go get ready.”
“Yeah.”
After Rose left, I got ready for work myself. I planned to head to the special team’s office and apply for a field trip. Today, I wanted to visit the Fesilian Trading Company in person. Even if I didn’t find much, I might get lucky like with the Marian case.
Whoosh—
While I was walking and thinking about these things, a shadow brushed past behind me with a swoosh. I quickly turned around, but there was no one there.
Strange. I was sure I’d felt someone pass by.
Whoosh, whoosh—
Just as I was about to keep going, the exact same sound came again—twice. No way I imagined it. Someone was definitely—
“Mmff!”
Before I could finish the thought, a shadow appeared from behind and clamped a hand over my mouth. I felt my breath cut off and my vision dim before losing consciousness.
When I came to, I groaned, clutching my pounding head. It reminded me of when Count Poison had kidnapped me. Back then too, I’d woken up with a nasty headache. The knockout drugs in this world seemed to have strong aftereffects.
When the pain subsided a little, I looked around. It was dark, but not pitch-black thanks to the moonlight seeping in through a window frame.
There’s no way I’ll get lucky like with Count Poison again.
That time, I’d been spared thanks to the count’s concern for Missy, but I doubted I’d be so fortunate this time. Especially now, when the special team had been receiving veiled threats disguised as bribes from noble families. The list of people who might kidnap me could easily fill two sheets of A4 paper. And their intentions definitely wouldn’t be good.
But even so—kidnapping a palace staff member inside the imperial palace?
You’d have to be insane.
Or have enough power to brazen it out even if caught. That narrowed the suspect list a lot.
Count Lev, maybe. Or Baron Fesilian, backed by Count Lev.
When my eyes adjusted to the dark, I stood up. The wooden floor and furniture suggested I wasn’t in a prison but in some sort of old office. The place was so worn out that every movement made the floorboards creak.
I was searching carefully when I heard footsteps outside. I tensed, scanning for a weapon. Luckily, I wasn’t tied up, so I grabbed a wooden stick leaning against the wall and hid behind the door before whoever it was came in.
One… two… three.
I held my breath and waited. The footsteps stopped right outside. The door opened slowly, a sliver of light cutting into the darkness.
I steadied my breathing, and the moment a shadow stepped in, I swung the stick hard at their head.
Thud. A satisfying sound, and the shadow collapsed to the floor. Just in case, I hit them a couple more times before lowering my weapon and checking who it was.
“Dead?”
I dragged the man into the room and quietly closed the door. I didn’t recognize his face. Placing my fingers under his nose, I confirmed he was still breathing, then searched his clothes.
Nothing?
I’d hoped for a key, but no luck. He must’ve just been some low-level extra.
Leaving him there, I cracked the door open and peeked outside. The hallway was empty. The floor looked old enough to squeak with every step, but I couldn’t just sit there cluelessly.
I crept along as quietly as I could until I heard voices somewhere. Pressing myself to the stairwell wall, I realized the sound was coming from below and strained my ears.
“They say someone bought S-class information from the Information Guild. We don’t even know what it is. If it contains any secrets, we’re in trouble.”
“And you kidnapped a palace worker for that?! If we get caught, it’s the death penalty!”
“We checked—she’s a commoner. No need to worry…”
“I heard they used a Metaylor family check at the Information Guild. Are you sure it’s nothing to worry about?”
Oh-ho. So that’s what happened.
Apparently, they’d found out I’d bought S-class info related to the Fesilian Company, and that’s why I was in this mess.
Tch. Doesn’t the Information Guild have any buyer protection? Or was even the fact that I bought S-class info being sold as information?
The thought gave me chills. I rubbed my arms and inched closer down the stairs. The voices grew clearer.
“Marquis Metaylor still hasn’t woken up. A house without its head has no power.”
Wrong, idiot. Ron’s already walking around the estate just fine. He even swings his sword every morning.
“So what about that staff member? As a commoner, there’s no house to negotiate with.”
“Should we torture her? As long as we find where the information is, we can just take it.”
“She’s with the special team. Are you sure she hasn’t reported to the crown prince?”
What a sloppy bunch.
Their conversation was ridiculous. They’d grabbed me without any plan for what to do next. That must be why they hadn’t even bothered tying me up. If you’re going to kidnap someone, at least move fast.
When I got far enough down to see them, I counted three men. Two looked familiar.
Baron Fesilian and Count Lev.
I’d seen them before in the video orb. The third man was unfamiliar, but judging by how he wrung his hands while the other two talked, he was probably some low-ranking noble following them.
I pulled out a small video orb from my pocket—a gift from the crown prince to our special team. We were told to record any crime scenes or decisive evidence we found.
This is what it’s for.
I quietly spoke the activation phrase. The orb glowed blue and began recording. Keeping it hidden under my clothes, I filmed them.
They spent a while debating what to do with me and how to retrieve the information, but they couldn’t come up with a plan. Eventually, they decided to meet again tomorrow and split up.
Pathetic. There won’t be a tomorrow for you.
Count Lev left first, then the lower noble followed after more hand-wringing. That left Baron Fesilian alone downstairs. I switched off the video orb and stepped down.
“Phew. So you think you’re safe. My company’s secrets might have gone to the crown prince, you old geezer…”
“Not yet—they haven’t reached the crown prince.”
“Eek!”
Baron Fesilian, badmouthing Count Lev, let out a shriek and fell backward when he saw me.
