Chapter 39
No matter how much I denied it, those words stayed in my ears.
“Your very existence is death. You were born that way.”
I laughed at that.
“Then was I born just to die?”
“To someone, yes.”
There was a sharp killing intent in Calyx’s voice when he said that. As if he might really kill me.
Well, Calyx had deep hatred toward the royal family. There was no reason I would be an exception. Until now, he had always been sensitive and cold toward me.
At this point, I became curious. What exactly was he thinking? I knew he would not kill me, but I still wanted to hear it from him directly.
“Your Grace, you hate the royal family. Do you want me to die?”
He looked at me for a moment without answering. I could feel the warmth of the vodka pressed close to my leg, but the cold air around him made goosebumps rise on my arms.
Especially his gray eyes—they were so deep and sharp that I almost looked away without meaning to. Just as I was about to turn my gaze—
“I would have killed you long ago.”
Calyx took a step closer. His presence completely surrounded me. The heavy atmosphere pressed down on me, and I could not move easily.
He stared straight into my shaking eyes.
“If I truly wanted you dead.”
Just hearing those words felt like facing death. My ears burned, and my heart pounded loudly.
Calyx kept looking down at me stubbornly, as if trying to see through me. There was something twisted and intense in his gaze.
I stepped back. The air around him felt suffocating. Only after putting some distance between us could I breathe a little easier.
Why does he look at me like he could kill me at any moment, even after saying he wouldn’t?
It felt strange. In this situation, should I feel grateful that he isn’t killing me? Even after being scammed out of two billion? Should I thank him for sparing my life?
“Let’s go.”
At the sudden voice, I lifted my head and met Calyx’s eyes. The killing intent in them had already faded.
“Are you going to stand here all day?”
“N-no.”
Calyx walked past me first. For a moment, I felt like I had just returned from another world.
The atmosphere he created still clung to my body.
* * *
Nine hours earlier, Prod Swindel urgently sent a signal into a golden magic stone. Soon, a lazy voice echoed out.
— What is it?
“Y-Your Highness.”
His voice was trembling. The prince let out an annoyed sigh.
— What is it?
His tone sounded soft, but the end of his words dropped slightly in a strange way. Prod ignored that and spoke quickly.
“I think our work has been discovered.”
The prince did not answer. A heavy silence filled the air.
Prod swallowed nervously. It was not his fault. It was that underling’s mistake. Because of his carelessness, things had gone wrong.
As if he were innocent, Prod hurriedly explained,
“It’s all because of Rotas. That fool handled things carelessly, and now—”
— So is he dead?
The words spread coldly. Sweat ran down Prod’s back as he gripped the magic stone.
— I asked if he’s dead.
The voice lowered again. Prod quickly answered,
“I-I’m not sure. But what’s certain is that the woman we tried to deal with knows everything.”
— The woman?
“The one we ordered to be killed. Her name was…”
— Lerit Bin.
“Y-Yes, that’s it. It was a strange name, sounded like someone from the Lukru Kingdom.”
— So is she the only one who knows about our business?
Prod thought for a moment. If that were true, the matter could end cleanly. Just kill her and it would be over.
If not, they would have to investigate who else knew. And the prince hated complicated problems.
So he had to answer clearly.
“Yes. She’s the only one.”
— I’ll send someone suitable. Don’t worry about Rotas. Whether he dies there or not doesn’t matter.
Prod had already disliked Rotas for getting caught. The man had even threatened him before, asking for more people. He had been annoying.
He had worked well even with little pay, but his greed had grown.
“Yes, I won’t worry about him. He’ll die there anyway.”
Prod’s voice was calmer now. He even smiled.
Fortunately, the prince did not blame him. Perhaps it was because of all the clean work he had done before.
With a satisfied smile, Prod added,
“Anyway, thank you for taking care of this. I will greet you properly soon—”
— Greet me?
“Y-Yes. I wasn’t able to greet you properly before, and the situation was unfortunate.”
— No need. You’ll be coming here soon anyway.
Prod almost dropped the magic stone. His hand trembled.
— I overlooked your past mistakes because you handled things cleanly. But this time, I’m not pleased.
“Y-Your Highness, I am working for you. I will fix this. I will personally step forward and prove my loyalty.”
A short laugh came through. Prod quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead. He felt as if the prince were right in front of him.
“This was truly just a mistake. You know I don’t usually make mistakes.”
— That’s true. You handled things very cleanly before.
Hearing that, Prod hurried on.
“So this time, I will not fail—”
— You’ve already failed. What can I expect now?
“Your Highness, but—”
— The person I’m sending is capable. You don’t need to worry. So—
“He may not know the land of Setos well. The woman is in a place where Berok often sink. And she regularly goes there to hunt Berok.”
The prince did not reply. But at least he was not stopping him, so Prod continued quickly.
“No matter how well trained someone is, Berok are different. They tear and kill without mercy. So timing is important. It would take too much time to figure that out, so I will explain it clearly.”
— What do you want?
Prod smiled slightly.
“If you trust me one more time, I will tell your man everything I know. This time we will not fail. I will even give the exact timing to kill her perfectly. I also have the training schedule I received from Rotas.”
— If my man wanders around in Setos, that would be troublesome.
“Exactly. And the longer he wanders, the worse it will be.”
— I’ll send someone there.
“Th-Then you won’t kill me?”
— If that woman doesn’t die, you will.
Those words were terrifying. Prod swallowed hard.
“That won’t happen. I will tell him everything. He will kill her immediately.”
— Good. Then—
Just as the call was about to end, Prod smiled strangely.
“By the way, are you planning to retrieve the necklace as well?”
— Of course. Don’t tell me she knows about the necklace too?
“N-No. Rotas didn’t mention the necklace.”
— Do you know its location?
Prod paused. The prince still did not know where the necklace was.
Then he could send someone else to get it separately. He could sell it for a high price and escape from here.
After all, judging by the prince’s attitude, he would kill him the moment he was dissatisfied.
— Why are you taking so long to answer?
The irritated voice made Prod speak quickly.
“I was thinking about what Rotas said. But I don’t think he found the necklace there. It may not be in Setos. It may be in Derilp.”
— Derilp?
“Yes. I will send someone there and make sure to find it.”
— No need. I’ll send someone else.
“Is there anything else you need me to do?”
— No. Just tell the person I send everything about Setos and the woman, so he won’t make mistakes.
“I understand—”
Before Prod could finish, the light vanished. He frowned immediately and threw the magic stone.
“Damn prince.”
The prince might keep him alive for now, but he could order his death anytime. Grinding his teeth, Prod thought about the future.
The woman would die at the hands of that man. Meanwhile, he would secretly send someone to take the necklace in Setos.
His twisted expression slowly relaxed. Feeling calm for the first time in a while, Prod finished the chocolate he had left.
