The morning after Second Princess Alecia left, Clarice was in a foul mood.
I knew exactly why. It was the parchment sitting on the desk—the draft of the cooperation terms Alecia had left behind yesterday. While not a formal contract yet, it listed detailed requirements: management of the Southern Highway, handling correspondence from the royal capital, and reporting any suspicious cargo belonging to the First Prince faction.
I lay across the sofa, focused on how to spend the five hundred gold coins.
Five hundred gold coins.
With just one gold coin, a commoner family could live comfortably for three years—or five, if they were frugal. In fact, it was nearly a miracle for a commoner to ever touch a gold coin. Most went their entire lives seeing only copper and silver, believing gold was something reserved for the great merchants of the capital or the nobility.
Five hundred coins was a fortune that even a count's house would struggle to produce. After repairing the mansion, outfitting the soldiers, and maintaining the roads and waterways within the domain, I’d still have a massive surplus.
If I asked for more than that, I’d be getting greedy...
Fix the roof... replace the bridge planks... set aside the wages for the Black Claw first, then increase the winter stockpiles. With whatever was left, I’d expand the wine cellar and build a massive bathhouse. I’d need women to scrub my back in the bath... I’d like to hire about three, if possible.
—Kukuku... at last, my life of decadence is starting to take shape.
"Vain... are you actually listening to me?"
At the sound of Clarice’s low voice, one of the beauties vanished from my bathhouse.
"I’m listening... Keep an eye on the Southern Highway and report any suspicious cargo, right? The work is light for five hundred gold coins! It's a truly excellent contract."
"We haven't received the five hundred gold coins yet, you know. The formal contract hasn't even arrived from the royal palace. And yet, you were already imagining the size of the bathtub, weren't you?"
"...How did you know?"
"Because you were tracing the shape of a tub in the air with your fingers!"
...Apparently, I had been caught.
Clarice set down her quill and tapped a spot on the parchment. She must have reread it a dozen times since yesterday. The margins were now filled with her tiny script; Clarice’s cautionary notes already outnumbered the actual conditions written by the Princess.
"Princess Alecia’s terms aren't bad so far. If we deploy private soldiers, the reward will be negotiated separately. She'll pay for food and horses used within the domain. Even if we use the authority of the royal palace, we won't seize goods from the villages. At the very least, we aren't the ones taking a loss."
"Then there's no problem, is there? That brat might have a nasty personality, but she seems to be a good payer."
"She is the Second Princess... please, show at least a little respect even when she isn't here."
"She told me to act the way I always do! I’m simply following a royal command."
Clarice started to retort, but then pressed a hand to her forehead as if giving up.
I picked up another piece of paper. Just as I was about to list the timber needed for the cellar repairs, the sound of horses reached us from outside.
It wasn't just one or two.
Several carriages came to a halt, followed by the frantic shouting of the gatekeepers. Another carriage from the royal palace so soon? If Alecia had returned with the gold coins, she was more than welcome, but knowing her, she was more likely adding another page to the contract.
After a short while, Mylene entered the office.
"Lord Razgrim... a gentleman claiming to be a messenger from His Highness the First Prince has arrived."
Clarice immediately turned the parchment face down.
I sat up on the sofa.
"The First Prince? The Second Princess yesterday, and now the First Prince today. Is there a schedule for royals to visit my mansion?"
"It is not His Highness himself, but a messenger and his escort. However... he insists on seeing you immediately."
Raisa appeared from behind Mylene. She must have come straight from the training grounds, as her sleeves were still rolled up.
"Boss, there are twelve guards outside the gate. That's a lot for a simple messenger. I’d say they’re here to show off their muscle."
...I see.
So it was less of a discussion and more of a threat.
I shoved the Princess’s parchment into a desk drawer and locked it.
"Show him in. If we leave them outside, the villagers will start loitering to see what's happening. I can’t exactly charge admission for a royal spectacle."
◇
The messenger who entered the drawing room was a man in his early forties.
His dark brown hair was slicked back, and he wore an ornament bearing the First Prince's crest prominently on his chest. His clothes and shoes shouted expense. He brought only two of his guards into the room, leaving the rest to wait in the entrance hall.
The man gave a perfunctory bow the moment he saw me.
"Lord Vain Razgrim. I am Gerhardt Morden, in service to His Highness the First Prince. I have come today to convey His Highness's benevolence."
"A messenger from the First Prince, eh? I'll serve you tea, but don't overstay your welcome. I've had a headache from royal business since yesterday."
Gerhardt’s eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.
Under the table, Clarice stepped hard on my foot. I’ve lost count of how many times she’s done that since yesterday... If my shoes get ruined, I’m deducting it from her pay. Besides, it actually hurt.
Once Mylene set down the tea and withdrew, Gerhardt didn't touch his cup. Instead, he pulled a rolled-up parchment from his breast pocket.
"I shall be blunt. We would like you to annul your agreement with Her Highness the Second Princess."
"I refuse."
"...You have not even seen our terms yet."
I felt like I’d heard those exact words yesterday.
"I've already accepted a deal for five hundred gold coins. It’d be a problem for me if you brought a cheaper offer afterward."
Gerhardt smiled for the first time. It was the face of a man who thought he had already won.
"Rest assured. His Highness the First Prince is offering a reward equivalent to seven hundred gold coins."
Seven hundred gold coins.
My hand stopped.
That was two hundred more than five hundred... I could make the bathhouse even larger... couldn't I? I could stock the wine cellar with better barrels, and maybe increase the number of beautiful servants from three to five.
...No, let's keep it together.
Because I answered immediately when I heard five hundred yesterday, everyone thought I was easy to buy. I am easy to buy, but I’m not stupid enough to repeat the same mistake.
I reached for the parchment.
Seven hundred gold coins sounded like a much better deal than Alecia’s... but this man hadn't said, "I will give you seven hundred gold coins."
He said a reward equivalent to seven hundred gold coins.
There was a reason he’d phrased it that way.
I untied the string and scanned the document. A title of nobility, a mansion in the capital, land grants after the war... none of it was actual gold. Furthermore, the timing of the grant was "after the First Prince takes the throne," and it stated the amount would be "decided based on merit."
In other words, there wasn't a single coin to be had right now.
I looked further down.
House Razgrim would provide lodging, food, and horses for the Prince faction's soldiers passing through the Southern Highway... any damaged roads or bridges would be repaired at our expense... and even the wages for domain residents used for labor would come from my own funds.
As for the Black Claw and the private soldiers, they were to be placed under the First Prince’s command as needed.
I did some quick math in my head.
Food for the soldiers... fodder for the horses... lodging... the cost of repairing roads and bridges... wages for the villagers... and the guard soldiers I’d have to hire while the Black Claw were away.
Forget seven hundred gold coins. If this dragged on, even a thousand wouldn't cover it.
"...I see."
When I looked up, Gerhardt was still smiling. He clearly thought I’d jump at the number seven hundred.
"Clarice."
"Yes?"
"Just to be sure, check this. Nowhere in this contract does it say I get seven hundred gold coins right now, does it?"
Clarice scanned the section I pointed to and nodded immediately.
"Yes... it only says that a title, a mansion, and post-war land grants will total the equivalent of seven hundred... and only after the First Prince wins, with the final amount decided by his discretion."
"Thought so. You aren't giving me any money at all, are you?"
"His Highness offers protection and future glory—"
"You're just telling me to let you eat up a thousand coins' worth of my domain's resources, and in exchange, you might pay me back seven hundred coins' worth later!"
The smile vanished from Gerhardt’s face.
"Mind your tongue, Lord Razgrim! His Highness the First Prince is extending a hand to a young lord like yourself. It is a far wiser choice than associating with the Second Princess, who keeps company with the capital’s underworld."
The capital’s underworld...
The man's gaze shifted briefly toward Serena, who was standing by the wall with a water pitcher.
Serena said nothing, but I saw her fingers tighten on the pitcher ever so slightly.
...Does this guy know something about her?
Gerhardt immediately returned his focus to me and continued as if nothing had happened.
"For now, your contact with the Second Princess can be treated as a youthful indiscretion. However, if you refuse this offer, House Razgrim will be officially regarded as part of the Second Princess faction."
"Don't decide that for me. I’m the one who decides who I sign with."
"That is not how it will be perceived in the capital. Many already know that the Second Princess’s carriage was at this mansion yesterday."
He was saying the exact same thing as Alecia.
These royals had a nasty habit of deciding my position for their own convenience. It was infuriating, but it wasn't a reason to accept this garbage contract. If I switched to the First Prince, the five hundred gold coins would vanish, and my domain would be bled dry by his soldiers. Forget a life of decadence; they’d probably requisition the wine I already had.
"Get out."
I pushed the parchment back toward Gerhardt.
"You are refusing the First Prince’s proposal?"
"Obviously. If it were a real offer of seven hundred gold coins, I might have considered it, but this isn't seven hundred coins. It just says I should hand over my grain, horses, and men, and you'll give me a pat on the back if you win. I’m not so cheap that I’d sign a paper like that."
Gerhardt stood up, his face cold.
"You will regret this. When the First Prince becomes the next king, your answer today will not be forgotten."
"When that time comes, bring a more honest contract. If the next one is just as bad, I’ll bill you for my reading time."
The man gave a stiff bow and left the room with his guards. No one spoke until we heard the front door slam shut.
◇
As the carriage pulled away from the gate, Clarice finally let her shoulders drop.
"Refusing him was the right call... but that bit about the reading fee was completely unnecessary."
"If I'm forced to read the same kind of trash twice, I deserve to get paid for it."
"That attitude is exactly how you make enemies..."
Raisa was watching the carriage disappear through the window. Her usual smirk was gone.
"Boss, that messenger didn't come here to make a deal. It looked to me like he came to force a refusal so he could confirm we're with the Princess faction."
Yeah... I agreed.
Despite trying to bait me with "seven hundred gold coins," the actual terms were too sloppy to be a serious offer. If I’d been stupid enough to jump at the numbers without reading, they’d have made a profit; since I refused, they had an excuse to label me an enemy.
Either way, the First Prince’s side stood to gain.
"Royals are a massive pain in the ass."
I slumped back into my chair and took Alecia’s parchment from Clarice.
Until a few minutes ago, I’d only been thinking about the five hundred gold coins and my bathhouse. But the way that messenger had looked at Serena... that bothered me.
Serena had already returned to her usual stoic mask.
"Hey, Serena."
The girl’s blue eyes turned toward me. "Yes, Master?"
"Did you know that man?"
For the briefest of seconds, Serena hesitated. "I do not. But... he seemed to know of me."
"I see."
I had a feeling that if I dug any deeper, the trouble would only multiply. For now, that was enough.
"Then the next time he shows up, water down his tea. There’s no sense in wasting good leaves on a guy like that."
Serena blinked, then gave a faint nod. "Understood. Next time, I shall use the cheap leaves."
Clarice chimed in from the side, "You don't have to be so obedient about the petty things!"
I reopened the Princess’s parchment.
Hated by the First Prince and bought by the Second Princess for five hundred gold coins... my exit strategies were vanishing faster than I’d expected.
—But I still had five hundred gold coins coming my way. For now, I had to see that through. As I looked for the place to put my seal, I made a silent vow.
Whether it's the First Prince or the Second Princess, I'll never let anyone lay a finger on my wine and my grain without paying the price. Not a single one of them.