Chapter 3 – English Translation
But this time, it was different.
Just like in his first life, right there in the maze garden.
His empress. Lady Olive, daughter of the Marquis of Chartres.
When he finally met the woman he had so desperately longed and waited for, the gray world found its colors and began to shimmer.
Because of her, Ludwig rediscovered the sweetness of life.
“I want to see that face once more.”
Clenching his fist tightly, Ludwig looked out the window.
In his previous life, he would have gone to her house, seized upon her weakness, and shaken her with it. He would have created a forced reason to meet her.
But he couldn’t do that now. No—he wouldn’t live like that in this life.
“I have to approach her like a real human being. Just as Olive had wanted.”
To meet Olive in a normal, ordinary way, he needed sufficient wealth and power.
She was the beloved daughter of the Chartres family, known across the empire for their intellect and prestige.
Now in a semi-imprisoned state, he had to build his foundations from scratch. He needed to become someone worthy of Olive.
“It will take at least five years to establish that foundation.”
It was incredibly frustrating that he had returned in the body of a 12-year-old. There was so little he could do at the moment.
Ludwig leaned back in his chair, tapping the desk with his fingers.
His crimson eyes stared off into the distance. After a long moment of deep thought, the corners of his lips curved upward in a crooked smile.
Ding— Ludwig rang a bell.
A steward with graying hair opened the creaky brown door and stepped into Ludwig’s room. His steps were somewhat disrespectful.
“A young master who rarely calls for me—what business could possibly bring you to summon me at this hour of night?”
The steward of Garnet Palace made no effort to hide his sarcasm. His behavior had long since abandoned any form of respect for the prince.
Ludwig took a deep breath, suppressing his anger.
“Pin Duke. You came over from the Kingdom of Setene and were granted the title of viscount. Married at nineteen, with two sons, yes?”
Pin Duke narrowed his eyes as the prince recited his personal details.
Something felt off. Different.
He couldn’t explain it in words, but this was no longer the same boy who had seemed like a paper doll yesterday.
“You have a jealous streak, and you’ve abused your wife for years. Last winter, when your wife came here to demand a divorce, you lost your temper and strangled her to death. You dumped her body behind the stables, in a closed-off underground sewer. Isn’t that right?”
The 12-year-old boy, looking like a porcelain doll, recited the steward’s dark secret as if reading from a fairy tale.
Pin Duke’s face drained of color.
“W-What are you saying, Your Highness?!”
His hands trembled. His eyes were filled with a storm of emotions—fear, confusion, panic, rage.
Pin gritted his teeth.
What if I just twist that brat’s neck right here?
If he killed the prince, the only witness, his crime would be complete.
He’s a secluded prince—His Majesty wouldn’t care even if I killed him!
With renewed resolve, Pin looked up at Ludwig like a hunter eyeing prey.
And then the thought vanished in an instant.
A chill ran down his spine from the strange aura the prince exuded. It was sharp, like a well-honed blade.
His instincts screamed—if he made a wrong move, there wouldn’t even be bones left.
Could a human change so drastically without being possessed by a demon?
Despair slowly filled Pin’s eyes.
Hmph, this is quite entertaining, Ludwig thought with a smile. He liked seeing that expression in people’s eyes.
“I saw everything that day, Pin. You know I like things like that, right?”
“Y-Your Highness?!”
Pin had known that Ludwig enjoyed tormenting small animals.
But to hear that this child had watched a murder with interest? At the time, the prince was just eleven.
“It was pretty fun. Most of it got washed away in the drain, but you know that left arm is still there, right? The one with the wedding ring you gave her.”
“N-No, that can’t be true!”
Pin denied it with all his might. He wanted to flee immediately, but he couldn’t.
The prince’s tone—like he regularly checked on the corpse—pressed down on Pin like a heavy iron weight.
“Disappointing, Pin. You dare look at a child like me with such contempt when you’re a murderer?”
Ludwig furrowed his brows in a show of disappointment. His face mirrored that of a boy who had just lost a puppy.
Pin shuddered like cold water had been poured over him. This wasn’t a child—it was a demon.
“I brought this up because… I want to make a deal.”
With you.
Ludwig pointed his chin at Pin and slowly approached. With a swift kick, his polished shoe struck Pin’s shin.
“Urgh!”
Pin collapsed to his knees, clutching his swollen leg. Rage bubbled up, but he couldn’t retaliate against the child prince.
He’s just a kid!
His jaw trembled uncontrollably. But what stood before him wasn’t a child—it was a lion with its jaws wide open.
“Aww, Pin. Did that hurt?”
Ludwig grabbed Pin’s chin.
“We can talk properly now that we’re at eye level. If your master is only 12 years old, shouldn’t you be kneeling down to match him?”
“M-My apologies, Your Highness.”
“Good. Make sure you remember this whenever you come to see me, Pin.”
Ludwig’s eyes crinkled into a smile. His doll-like face showed no warmth.
Pin couldn’t leave the room for a long time.
Only when the sun, which had been floating above, dipped below the horizon and cast a red glow like the prince’s eyes, did the old wooden door creak open.
That prince is definitely insane!
Pin, limping on both legs, fled from Ludwig’s room in a cold sweat.
Three Months Later
Garnet Palace had changed dramatically. Some of the old attendants disappeared, while others resigned in fear.
The new staff were all loyal to Ludwig, and no longer did palace funds mysteriously leak elsewhere.
In the nearly twelve years he had lived there, Ludwig reclaimed more than half of the stolen palace budget.
The amount was enough to purchase several territories.
With that money, Ludwig established an underground bank—essentially a loan shark operation.
He lent money to nobles, taking their lands and titles as collateral. Despite the high interest rates, desperate nobles sought out the underground bank.
The money snowballed.
Gifted from birth and particularly brilliant in herbalism and pharmaceuticals, Ludwig began cultivating various medicinal herbs on his newly acquired lands.
Among those herbs were toxic and hallucinogenic plants, but no one monitored the prince’s vast herbal farms.
Using his own formulas, Ludwig mass-produced a variety of drugs.
The medicines, effective for many illnesses, spread rapidly among physicians and filled Ludwig’s vaults over the next five years.
By the time Ludwig turned seventeen, the wealth under his various aliases was among the top five in the empire.
He dismantled any business that could be labeled “illegal” and used the profits to buy high-end artwork and jewelry, eventually opening an art museum.
His proxy, Pin, was bewildered by this move and protested.
“Your Highness, the business could grow even more. Shutting it down now would be foolish. The elixir division especially is booming!”
“Why so serious, Pin? It’s not even your business. Or have you gotten attached while managing it?”
Ludwig smiled sweetly, his red lips curling slightly.
He already knew that Pin had been siphoning off elixirs to fill his own warehouse—and that Pin himself was addicted to them.
Rumors of Pin hosting debauched parties with those elixirs had reached Ludwig, who had a firm grip on the empire’s dark underbelly. But Pin couldn’t fathom just how much Ludwig knew.
“Human greed really is endless, Pin.”
Still not an adult himself, Ludwig wore the expression of a man who had seen the filth of the world. He tapped Pin’s chest with a finger.
“I have enough money now. It’s time to clean things up and show the world a proper image. Shut everything down—immediately.”
“Who exactly are you trying to look good for…?”
Kneeling before Ludwig, Pin trailed off. The prince’s glare was ice-cold.
“Did you not hear me, Pin? I said shut it all down. Now. I did.”
Behind that doll-like, refined face was a heart colder and sharper than anyone else’s.
Trained in martial arts and possessing a strong body, Ludwig had no worthy opponents.
One day, that prince will kill me.
If Pin wanted to survive, he’d have to stab that beast in the back before it grew any stronger. Just as he resolved to do so, Ludwig spoke.
“You must be busy with all the cleanup. Off you go now, Pin.”
Ludwig smiled kindly again, his dark expression fading, as he looked down at Pin.
Startled, Pin bowed his head to the floor and fled Ludwig’s office like something was chasing him.
Watching his retreating back, Ludwig murmured softly.
“That one—I’ll have to clean up myself.”
The Marquis of Chartres’ household was bustling from early morning.
The staff was busy decorating the mansion’s grand hall for the birthday celebration of the eldest son, Planus.
Feeling excited by the festive air, Olive headed to her brother’s study.
“Happy birthday, Brother!”
Grinning ear to ear, she burst into the room. Planus set down his book and opened his arms.
Olive ran over and leapt into his embrace. Planus let out a hearty laugh.
…Or at least, he tried to. But instead, a cough burst out. Olive had hit him right in the solar plexus.
“Cough—Cough—Hhhhuuurgh!”
“Brother, are you sick?”
“Cough! No, Olive. Just a little something caught in my throat…
