After breakfast, I immediately called a carriage.
“Hey, where are you going?”
As we prepared to load up and leave, Merchen was taken aback.
“Didn’t you say you would make me do labor worth 20 gold?”
“Oh, right.”
“...Where?”
“My house. I’ll go and pull the weeds in the front yard, clean, and do the dishes.”
Such a chore for a Prince...
I looked at Merchen, who seemed shocked. But the Prince nodded sadly, as if he was trying to comply.
"Yes. Ordinary people usually work and earn money to cover their food and lodging, so I'll follow suit."
“That commoner’s voice has been annoying me since earlier! Aren’t you a commoner?!”
Revan was angry.
"No!"
“Then what is it! A beggar?”
“How rude! I...!”
I'm a Prince!
He seemed to want to retort, but he glanced at me and kept his mouth shut.
“Anyway, I understand. But wasn’t your house here?”
“No. Our house is six hours up the road by carriage from here.”
"What?"
Ryan said to the surprised Merchen.
"Besides, we still have work to do. So, once we're done, we'll go home."
“Well, then...”
“You have to go too.”
Merchen became lost in thought and took a step back.
“...Yes, now I get it. You’re trying to kidnap me.”
"what?"
“You’re planning on putting me in that carriage!”
“Then do you want to walk alone?”
"Do you think I don't know the intentions of people like you? I absolutely won't trust you! I, I….."
I grabbed Merchen's hand, which had turned pale.
"Why are you sweating so much? Don't get me wrong. It's not like that. Just calm down."
“Ugh, I can’t believe it. You’re trying to kidnap me...”
“What good are we going to do by kidnapping that worthless bastard!”
Revan, who was offended by being treated like a kidnapper, shouted.
“No, I, I don’t like it...”
The reaction was suspicious. Have you ever been kidnapped?
Ryan asked if I thought the same thing.
“Have you ever been kidnapped?”
“...”
“You must have been through it. But you escaped with all your limbs intact?”
“..."
Merchen, who had been trembling continuously, did not answer Ryan but rather leaned close to me and whispered in my ear.
“...I’ve been through it. At first, they were kind, but then they tried to sell me off somewhere.”
“Oh, like that.”
More than a few people are doing bad things on this big continent.
No, but there's a high chance it's someone I know.
Look at Merchen's face.
It's pretty...
I don't want to look at or judge any other man's face for too long, but if I had to, I would.
Honestly, he's surprisingly handsome...
The typical handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the face that is full of guilt almost has 'I am royalty' written on it.
The royal bloodline that has accumulated over several generations, having lived a life free from hardship, is completely reflected in his white, transparent skin.
Anyone who recognized this shining face, even though it was covered in a giant blanket, would have definitely reached out.
I know a man who captures these pretty people, does all sorts of things to them (I won't describe them because I don't want to remember them) to keep them from escaping, and then sells them off to some pot-bellied pig aristocrat.
There are a lot of bad people on this vast continent, so it might not be someone I know.
Just in case, I'm really asking just in case.
“I won’t bother asking how you escaped.”
If it were the kidnappers I know, they would have attempted physical harm, and if they had, it would have been easy to predict that Ratan would have jumped out and escaped.
I turned over Merchen's palm.
And then I showed him a small pattern on his palm with my index finger. A circle, with an X inside it.
Merchen flinched.
“Do the people who kidnapped the Prince have something like this on their necks...?”
“That’s right! How do you know?”
“...”
I'm really pissed.
There are so many criminals in the world, how is it that if you ask people on the street, nine out of ten of them are my family's criminals?
“Don’t worry. My dad isn’t a kidnapper. He’s the kind of guy who catches and beats up people who walk around with that kind of sign around their necks.”
Of course not now, but it will be in the future.
"What?"
Merchen looked at Ryan with suspicious eyes.
“No matter how I look at your father... he looks like someone who would do bad things...? He looks and looks the same.”
"You can't judge a book by its cover. If he were trying to kidnap the Prince, my father would have put you in a sack last night and run away with you."
“But that’s...”
“Hey! What are you two whispering about?”
Ryan yelled at us.
I said it right away.
“He guessed he was kidnapped. Like those guys who sell people to Elliot Wassenberg slave auctions...”
Ryan's expression hardened.
Elliot Wassenberg is our second-oldest child.
“Dad hates that guy. You’re going to hit him later, right?”
“...”
He stared at Merchen for a moment, then spoke again as he loaded the carriage.
“Uh. After I beat him up, I’ll make him a rat and throw him into the sea.”
“Eek.”
Merchen was terrified.
“And this older brother’s name is Merchen's... He’s handsome like a Prince, so call him Prince.”
This time, Ryan and Revan were disgusted, but they just clicked their tongues and gestured to the carriage that was fully loaded.
“Get on. Let’s go.”
Merchen hesitated. I whispered to him again.
"It's excellent that you don't trust people easily and are cautious at first, so please continue to do so. But just this one last time. Please trust me."
“...”
Merchen hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Then, as I was leaving, he gently grabbed my sleeve.
“Hey, give me your hand...”
“Oh, yes, your Highness.”
I held his hand, personally escorted him to the carriage, and sat down next to him.
The carriage started to move.
“Where do you live?”
Ryan asked Merchen straight away.
“...South.”
“Is the entire South your home? Where in the South?”
“...Farnece.”
“Farnece...?”
Ryan's face became absurd.
“So that’s the house you were going to? You were walking there in the same manner as when we met yesterday?”
"Yes. I have to go home. I have to go and... see with my own eyes... if my parents and my brother are alive."
“He was a crazy guy.”
As Ryan muttered, Revan, sitting next to him, nudged his waist and gave him a hint.
"...Hey."
Ryan, who had been silent as if thinking about something, said.
“If you really want to go, come to my house, finish your work, and then come with me. I’ll send you safely by carriage or boat.”
“What, what?”
Merchen was surprised.
And me too.
Ryan met my surprised eyes and added:
“Of course, when our schedule is free enough to allow for an outing there.”
“...Then there’s no guarantee?”
"It won't take that long. And you might want to get some help, too."
Ryan added, clicking his tongue.
"What if you cross the continent bare-handed and encounter another kidnapper? Yiu might have been lucky to survive once, but what about a second time?"
“...”
"Walking on all fours is truly a hopeless endeavor. After begging, sleeping rough, and getting beaten, how can you possibly arrive alive?"
“...So, you’re saying you’ll go to Farnese with me soon? You’re not lying, are you?”
“Is this really the life I’ve been living in a lie?”
It didn't seem like he was trying to scam Merchen. I tried to gauge Ryan's intentions.
'Are you saying it shows reality?'
If Merchen sees with his own eyes what has become of Farnese, he will abandon his vain hopes. He will also feel inspired to live a new life.
'Not bad.'
I think... Merchen said hesitantly.
“Well, I would appreciate it if you could help me...”
"There's nothing to be thankful for. From what I've heard, it seems like you were involved in the Demonic Crisis. Even if you go there, you won't find a single picture of what you dreamed of."
“...”
“What if you go and your family isn’t there?”
“Oh, that’s...”
Merchen glanced at me and then said to Ryan.
“I was planning to go to Farnese by myself anyway, and if I couldn’t find my parents and younger sibling, I would return to your daughter.”
“Yes.”
“Your daughter asked me to marry her last night.”
“...?”
“I guess I have no choice but to accept it...”
“Prince, what are you talking about?!!!”
“What the hell is that crazy guy talking about?!!!”
“Hey, where are you going?”
As we prepared to load up and leave, Merchen was taken aback.
“Didn’t you say you would make me do labor worth 20 gold?”
“Oh, right.”
“...Where?”
“My house. I’ll go and pull the weeds in the front yard, clean, and do the dishes.”
Such a chore for a Prince...
I looked at Merchen, who seemed shocked. But the Prince nodded sadly, as if he was trying to comply.
"Yes. Ordinary people usually work and earn money to cover their food and lodging, so I'll follow suit."
“That commoner’s voice has been annoying me since earlier! Aren’t you a commoner?!”
Revan was angry.
"No!"
“Then what is it! A beggar?”
“How rude! I...!”
I'm a Prince!
He seemed to want to retort, but he glanced at me and kept his mouth shut.
“Anyway, I understand. But wasn’t your house here?”
“No. Our house is six hours up the road by carriage from here.”
"What?"
Ryan said to the surprised Merchen.
"Besides, we still have work to do. So, once we're done, we'll go home."
“Well, then...”
“You have to go too.”
Merchen became lost in thought and took a step back.
“...Yes, now I get it. You’re trying to kidnap me.”
"what?"
“You’re planning on putting me in that carriage!”
“Then do you want to walk alone?”
"Do you think I don't know the intentions of people like you? I absolutely won't trust you! I, I….."
I grabbed Merchen's hand, which had turned pale.
"Why are you sweating so much? Don't get me wrong. It's not like that. Just calm down."
“Ugh, I can’t believe it. You’re trying to kidnap me...”
“What good are we going to do by kidnapping that worthless bastard!”
Revan, who was offended by being treated like a kidnapper, shouted.
“No, I, I don’t like it...”
The reaction was suspicious. Have you ever been kidnapped?
Ryan asked if I thought the same thing.
“Have you ever been kidnapped?”
“...”
“You must have been through it. But you escaped with all your limbs intact?”
“..."
Merchen, who had been trembling continuously, did not answer Ryan but rather leaned close to me and whispered in my ear.
“...I’ve been through it. At first, they were kind, but then they tried to sell me off somewhere.”
“Oh, like that.”
More than a few people are doing bad things on this big continent.
No, but there's a high chance it's someone I know.
Look at Merchen's face.
It's pretty...
I don't want to look at or judge any other man's face for too long, but if I had to, I would.
Honestly, he's surprisingly handsome...
The typical handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the face that is full of guilt almost has 'I am royalty' written on it.
The royal bloodline that has accumulated over several generations, having lived a life free from hardship, is completely reflected in his white, transparent skin.
Anyone who recognized this shining face, even though it was covered in a giant blanket, would have definitely reached out.
I know a man who captures these pretty people, does all sorts of things to them (I won't describe them because I don't want to remember them) to keep them from escaping, and then sells them off to some pot-bellied pig aristocrat.
There are a lot of bad people on this vast continent, so it might not be someone I know.
Just in case, I'm really asking just in case.
“I won’t bother asking how you escaped.”
If it were the kidnappers I know, they would have attempted physical harm, and if they had, it would have been easy to predict that Ratan would have jumped out and escaped.
I turned over Merchen's palm.
And then I showed him a small pattern on his palm with my index finger. A circle, with an X inside it.
Merchen flinched.
“Do the people who kidnapped the Prince have something like this on their necks...?”
“That’s right! How do you know?”
“...”
I'm really pissed.
There are so many criminals in the world, how is it that if you ask people on the street, nine out of ten of them are my family's criminals?
“Don’t worry. My dad isn’t a kidnapper. He’s the kind of guy who catches and beats up people who walk around with that kind of sign around their necks.”
Of course not now, but it will be in the future.
"What?"
Merchen looked at Ryan with suspicious eyes.
“No matter how I look at your father... he looks like someone who would do bad things...? He looks and looks the same.”
"You can't judge a book by its cover. If he were trying to kidnap the Prince, my father would have put you in a sack last night and run away with you."
“But that’s...”
“Hey! What are you two whispering about?”
Ryan yelled at us.
I said it right away.
“He guessed he was kidnapped. Like those guys who sell people to Elliot Wassenberg slave auctions...”
Ryan's expression hardened.
Elliot Wassenberg is our second-oldest child.
“Dad hates that guy. You’re going to hit him later, right?”
“...”
He stared at Merchen for a moment, then spoke again as he loaded the carriage.
“Uh. After I beat him up, I’ll make him a rat and throw him into the sea.”
“Eek.”
Merchen was terrified.
“And this older brother’s name is Merchen's... He’s handsome like a Prince, so call him Prince.”
This time, Ryan and Revan were disgusted, but they just clicked their tongues and gestured to the carriage that was fully loaded.
“Get on. Let’s go.”
Merchen hesitated. I whispered to him again.
"It's excellent that you don't trust people easily and are cautious at first, so please continue to do so. But just this one last time. Please trust me."
“...”
Merchen hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Then, as I was leaving, he gently grabbed my sleeve.
“Hey, give me your hand...”
“Oh, yes, your Highness.”
I held his hand, personally escorted him to the carriage, and sat down next to him.
The carriage started to move.
“Where do you live?”
Ryan asked Merchen straight away.
“...South.”
“Is the entire South your home? Where in the South?”
“...Farnece.”
“Farnece...?”
Ryan's face became absurd.
“So that’s the house you were going to? You were walking there in the same manner as when we met yesterday?”
"Yes. I have to go home. I have to go and... see with my own eyes... if my parents and my brother are alive."
“He was a crazy guy.”
As Ryan muttered, Revan, sitting next to him, nudged his waist and gave him a hint.
"...Hey."
Ryan, who had been silent as if thinking about something, said.
“If you really want to go, come to my house, finish your work, and then come with me. I’ll send you safely by carriage or boat.”
“What, what?”
Merchen was surprised.
And me too.
Ryan met my surprised eyes and added:
“Of course, when our schedule is free enough to allow for an outing there.”
“...Then there’s no guarantee?”
"It won't take that long. And you might want to get some help, too."
Ryan added, clicking his tongue.
"What if you cross the continent bare-handed and encounter another kidnapper? Yiu might have been lucky to survive once, but what about a second time?"
“...”
"Walking on all fours is truly a hopeless endeavor. After begging, sleeping rough, and getting beaten, how can you possibly arrive alive?"
“...So, you’re saying you’ll go to Farnese with me soon? You’re not lying, are you?”
“Is this really the life I’ve been living in a lie?”
It didn't seem like he was trying to scam Merchen. I tried to gauge Ryan's intentions.
'Are you saying it shows reality?'
If Merchen sees with his own eyes what has become of Farnese, he will abandon his vain hopes. He will also feel inspired to live a new life.
'Not bad.'
I think... Merchen said hesitantly.
“Well, I would appreciate it if you could help me...”
"There's nothing to be thankful for. From what I've heard, it seems like you were involved in the Demonic Crisis. Even if you go there, you won't find a single picture of what you dreamed of."
“...”
“What if you go and your family isn’t there?”
“Oh, that’s...”
Merchen glanced at me and then said to Ryan.
“I was planning to go to Farnese by myself anyway, and if I couldn’t find my parents and younger sibling, I would return to your daughter.”
“Yes.”
“Your daughter asked me to marry her last night.”
“...?”
“I guess I have no choice but to accept it...”
“Prince, what are you talking about?!!!”
“What the hell is that crazy guy talking about?!!!”
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