The Second Princess sat there, sipping her tea as if nothing had happened.
Up until moments ago, I’d been calling this girl a brat and shouting at her not to throw her weight around so haphazardly. Normally, it wouldn't have been surprising if her guards had cut me down on the spot... yet she merely smiled contentedly and took another sip of the tea Mylene had brewed.
I was the only one who couldn't settle down.
When I hadn't known her status, I hadn't thought twice about it, but the moment I realized she was a princess, even the chair started feeling uncomfortable. Just shifting my posture slightly made me worry about the gaze of the guards behind her. Was that movement rude? If I crossed my legs, would my head fly off? Surely I wouldn't be executed for drinking my tea before she finished hers, right?
Royalty, it seemed, were creatures that exhausted those around them simply by existing.
After observing our awkward state for a while, the Princess finally set down her teacup.
"Come to think of it, I haven't properly introduced myself yet, have I?"
"...Is it a bit late for that? Just your title alone is enough to give me a stomachache."
"Do you intend to keep calling me 'brat' now that you know who I am?"
"I’d like to, if I could. But looking at the faces of my staff, I don't think I’ll be allowed to..."
Clarice Elford pinched my arm hard. It hurt. I couldn't exactly cry out in front of the Princess, so I settled for a glare. She stared back, commanding me to shut up with her eyes alone.
The Princess stood up from her chair.
The playful smile she’d worn until now faded, and the guards behind her straightened their posture in unison. I felt the very air in the room shift. Even if I didn't want to admit it, I was forced to realize that she wasn't just some saucy brat—she was truly a scion of the royal palace.
"Alecia Valsein. I am the Second Princess of this kingdom. It is a pleasure to meet you properly, Vain Razgrim."
The Second Princess.
That part stuck in my head more than the name itself. She wasn't the first in line... but she still carried the royal bloodline. Her status was more than enough to have my head lopped off on a whim.
I let out a long, heavy breath.
"You should have introduced yourself like that from the start. I’m not the type who can guess a person's rank just from their face and clothes."
This time, Clarice stepped on my foot.
"That hurts!"
"I told you to keep your mouth shut!"
"You didn't say anything!"
"I said it with my eyes!"
How was I supposed to understand that?!
Alecia let out a laugh, but she quickly returned to her seat. I sat back down as well. Since she had given her name, I assumed everything from here on would be official business. If this were just for fun, there would be no need for formal introductions.
"So, what business does the Second Princess have at my mansion? You didn't come here just to talk about the Black Needle Society, did you?"
"Indeed. First of all, Baron Barzen has been arrested."
The lightness vanished from Alecia's voice.
"Evidence surfaced that he contracted the Black Needle Society for your assassination. Ledgers, payment slips, and testimony from the captured servants... With all that gathered, even he won't be able to talk his way out of it."
"Of course not. He sent men with blades into a house where people were sleeping. If possible, I’d like him to pay for the medical expenses and the cost of cleaning the blood off my hallways."
"You... money really is the first thing you think about, isn't it?"
"Once my life is secure, the next logical topic is gold."
Alecia let out an exasperated sigh.
"...Baron Barzen was a noble of the First Prince faction."
At those words, Clarice's expression stiffened.
Even I knew of the First Prince. He was the eldest son of the current King and the man said to be closest to the throne. To me, factions and political posturing were matters that had nothing to do with my life.
At least, until yesterday.
"The Baron just had a personal grudge against me, didn't he? It's not like the First Prince himself ordered the hit."
"As far as we know, yes. There is no evidence that my brother directly ordered it. Most likely, Baron Barzen acted on his own initiative."
"Then we can just dispose of the Baron and call it a day, right?"
"It won't be that simple."
Alecia turned her gaze toward Serena for a fleeting moment. Serena didn't return the look, simply standing there with her usual stoicism.
"The Black Needle Society, a notorious name in the royal capital, was annihilated immediately after laying a hand on your mansion. The assassins were caught, their contacts at the post station were rounded up, and their ledgers were seized. To an outsider, it looks as though House Razgrim wiped out an entire underworld organization in a single night."
"I didn't do anything, though. Capturing the assassins was just a result of defending the house, and as for the people at the post station, I don't even know who tied them up. I’d appreciate it if people didn't pin all that on me."
"I know that," she replied instantly.
I furrowed my brows. "Huh? You know?"
"If you had ordered it, you would have chosen a method that cost less money. Besides, you don't look like a man clever enough to play the fool and drink tea while being completely oblivious to the fact that you've just crushed an organization like the Black Needle Society."
That didn't feel like a compliment. Still, it was hard to deny... mostly because I really had been asleep until morning.
"Then explain that to the royal capital. Tell them I have nothing to do with it."
"Impossible. Rumors spread faster than the truth. Baron Barzen targeted you, the Black Needle Society vanished immediately after, and the Baron himself was caught. In the capital, people are already saying that anyone who touches House Razgrim will be erased along with their criminal associates."
"Tell them to stop being afraid of me! I just want to live in peace!"
"Saying that with a villainous face like yours isn't very persuasive..."
It was a bit much for her to complain about the face I was born with.
After a small laugh, Alecia looked me straight in the eye.
"That's why I want to welcome you into my faction."
I finally understood why she had been talking about the Black Needle Society for so long. She hadn't come to praise me—she intended to claim those rumors and pull me into her circle.
"I refuse."
I didn't even need to think about it.
The room went silent. Even Alecia widened her eyes slightly.
"I haven't even told you the conditions yet."
"I don't need to hear them. Succession wars are nothing but a mountain of trouble. If you win, you're hated by those who opposed you; if you lose, your whole house is razed to the ground. 'Deploy troops,' 'provide funds,' 'ship grain,' 'attend meetings,' 'reply to letters'... My head hurts just thinking about the paperwork."
I was already suffering enough managing the bridges, highways, and ledgers of my own domain. If I added a royal game of musical chairs to that, I’d never get another nap.
"I have no intention of sticking my nose into a royal spat. Go home. I'll act as if I never heard this proposal."
Alecia didn't get angry. Instead, she narrowed her eyes with an amused glint.
"But... unfortunately, from my brother's perspective, you already look like you're in the Princess faction."
"...What?"
"I spoke with you at the royal palace. Since then, I’ve visited this mansion twice in my personal carriage. Baron Barzen, a member of my brother's faction, was arrested, and the Black Needle Society was destroyed. How do you think the capital perceives this?"
A cold sweat broke out on my back.
Alecia had known this from the very beginning.
If she came to the mansion in a royal carriage, the world would assume I was a lord close to the Princess. Even if I turned her down, nobody else would know. All that would remain was the fact that she had visited.
This woman... she had orchestrated this entire situation before she even walked through the door.
"You... you came here knowing it would make it impossible for me to decline, didn't you?"
"Yes, of course."
"At least pretend to deny it!"
"What would be the point of lying?"
She was completely playing me!
What made it even more infuriating was that I had no rebuttal. I couldn't erase the fact that she had been here, and I couldn't exactly go door-to-door through the First Prince faction to explain myself.
Alecia gracefully lifted her teacup.
"Of course, I don't expect you to work for free. If you cooperate, I intend to provide a suitable reward."
I scoffed. "Hmph! Don't think I'll be moved by a pittance. There's no way the danger of a succession war is worth a bit of pocket change."
"I see... I suppose we should start with five hundred gold coins, then?"
In an instant, the numbers began to fly through my head.
Five hundred gold coins.
The risk of being involved in the struggle for the throne was immense. I would be seen as an enemy by the First Prince faction, and at worst, my entire domain would be targeted.
Wait, hold on...
Alecia had already come here twice in a royal carriage. Baron Barzen was already in custody, and the Black Needle Society was already gone.
From the First Prince’s perspective, it didn't matter whether I officially joined the Princess faction or not. It was highly likely I was already marked as an enemy.
In that case, refusing now wouldn't make the danger go away. If I was going to be targeted regardless, I might as well get paid for it. With five hundred gold coins, I could hire soldiers to prepare for that very danger. I could fix the bridges, increase highway patrols, and secure winter stockpiles... and I’d still have a fortune left over.
I could expand the wine cellar. I could build a massive bathhouse.
I could buy a softer bed and hire even more beautiful servants. I could spend my days drinking wine, surrounded by women, and push all the annoying paperwork onto Clarice.
Was my dream... my life of decadence finally within reach?
The danger was real, but if I was already an enemy, that was a moot point. And this way, it came with five hundred gold coins.
The calculation took only a few seconds.
"Alright. I'm in."
Everyone in the room looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.
Clarice's mouth hung open, and Mylene froze with the tea set in her hands. Raisa Vangrit raised an eyebrow, and even Serena turned her head to look at me.
"Vain?! What happened to all that refusing?!"
"Master... um, you just said you absolutely hated the idea..."
"Danna... aren't you flip-flopping a bit too fast?"
I looked back at the three of them with a stone-cold expression.
"It's five hundred gold coins. Of course my decision changed!"
Alecia covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
"I thought you wouldn't be moved by a 'mere reward'?"
"That was before I heard the amount! If the conditions change, the judgment changes. I'm not so foolish as to suffer a loss for the sake of pride."
"Don't you have any pride?"
"Pride won't expand my wine cellar!"
Alecia finally lost her composure and burst out laughing.
I didn't see what was so funny. I compared the risk to the reward, and the reward was higher. That was just sound logic.
Once her laughter subsided, Alecia pulled a piece of parchment from her robes and set it on the table.
"We can discuss the details next time. I won't ask you to deploy troops on a whim. I simply want you to secure the Southern Highway and your domain, and lend me your strength when it is required."
"If additional work comes up, I assume there will be separate payments?"
"Yes. You have my word."
"Then we have a deal."
Clarice slumped beside me, her head in her hands.
Alecia left the mansion before the sun began to set. Apparently, royalty staying overnight at a local noble’s house would invite even more rumors. Since she had already left enough trouble to last a lifetime, I was glad she wasn't staying.
As the royal carriage rolled out through the gates, I looked down at the parchment on my desk. I began mental preparations for what to buy with my five hundred gold coins.
Beside me, Clarice let out a deep, weary sigh.
"Vain... do you even realize that you've officially entered the war for the throne?"
"I do. That's why I’m charging five hundred gold coins."
"That isn't the point..."
I knew what Clarice was getting at. A royal struggle wouldn't end with just the tasks written in a contract. But if the First Prince faction was already watching me, it was better to get paid than to be dragged into it for free.
Charging a high price for dangerous work was only natural.
I didn't know then that the job I’d accepted for five hundred gold coins wouldn't bring me a life of decadence. Instead, it would push my peaceful afternoon naps further and further away...