Former Assassin - Arc 1 Early Life - Chapter 9
“Can you tell me more about your step-sister? What kind of person is she?”
“Is there any point in asking me that?”
Evan silently urged me to continue.
“On the off chance that I don’t like my step-sister, there’s no saying I won’t provide false information to break off the engagement or curry favor with the royal family.”
After all, I could portray Rosemary in either a favorable or negative light.
“You won’t be so foolish as to do that, will you?” He spoke triumphantly, smiling broadly at me.
…We’d only met once at the tea party the other day. How could he say that when he didn’t know anything about me?
I don’t like this.
“I’m sure you’ll eventually find out what kind of person my step-sister is. I don’t think it’s something you should be asking now.”
“The sooner I deal with this, the better.”
Rosemary was just an afterthought. He had a different agenda.
Besides, it wasn’t like he needed to ask me about Rosemary, since the information I’d provide wouldn’t necessarily be correct.
What’s the point of such uncertain intel?
He should be able to grasp someone’s personality by merely observing them, so it couldn’t be too late to take action.
He said it had something to do with me.
Was his purpose truly to just see me?
Is he trying to find out something from me?
No, that’s not it. After all, he came to see me.
The carriage’s destination was the royal castle.
He wanted to let everyone know that the Duke Violet family hadn’t joined Prince Heinrich’s faction.
The aristocrats were still lying in wait, having not yet formed any factions. If it was confirmed that the wealthy Duke Violet family was only affiliated with Prince Heinrich, a faction might form as a result. Afterwards, some aristocrats might approach us for financial gains.
“Have you finished thinking?”
Evan asked me after giving me some time. His smile, which could cause an ordinary noble lady’s heart to go aflutter, only made me suspicious.
“Your Highness Evan’s goal is to have many witnesses with us together in public. You want to show them that the Duke Violet family isn’t completely standing beside Prince Heinrich and that it’s still too early to form a faction among the nobility.”
“As expected, you‘re sharp. I knew it from the moment I saw you at that tea party. You’re different from the other ladies. Those aren’t the eyes of a sheltered, oblivious lady; if anything, those are the eyes of a killer. At first, I even thought you were an assassin sent by the concubine’s faction to kill me.”
I see.
In my previous life, I often met people in the same industry with similar atmospheres. Is that how he recognized me?
No matter how good I was at pretending to be a noble lady, I wouldn’t be able to fool someone like that.
“I’m an ordinary lady.”
“…If you can say that, you’re still somewhat naïve. Well, it doesn’t matter. Won’t you cooperate with me?”
“What do I get in return?”
“An ordinary lady would want to be affiliated with the royal family.”
“Because they see merits in that, whereas I don’t. Being involved in the battle of succession is the last thing I want.”
“Hence, you ran away from home. A bit extreme.”
“I don’t think so. I’ve fulfilled my obligation by opposing my mother and sister. After that, it’s up to them whether they want to perish or prosper. But I won’t wait. As things stand, they will perish. Between waiting until that comes to pass or laying low as a commoner to build a foundation for my life earlier on, it’s obvious which one I’ll choose. Besides, depending on the case, I might be punished if it’s the former.”
“Let me tell you one thing: an ordinary lady can’t survive as a commoner as she can’t even change her own dress. Such is an ordinary lady. If you plan on making a living pretending to be a lady, you should keep that in mind. As for what you get in return, in the unlikely event that something happens, how about I help you escape punishment? I’ll also reward you handsomely so that you can live in peace after all is said and done. What do you think?”
‘Pretending to be a lady’.
I couldn’t make a sense of it—it was as if he was calling me a false noble lady.
Regardless, even if I was formerly an assassin, in this life, I was a noble lady through and through. Even if he tried to dig further, I wouldn’t be in any danger whatsoever. Who’d believe me if I said that I was an assassin in my previous life?
If anything, they’d just think that I got a screw loose and admitted me to the asylum.
Still, even if I managed to run away from home, I had nowhere to go. I’d be forced to find a place to live and get a job—heck, I might end up becoming an assassin again.
Although his offer wasn’t without risk, assuming he kept his end of our deal, I’d be able to lead a peaceful life afterwards.
It can’t be helped. Guess I’d have to strive harder.
“Then, I want a written contract.”
“It’s a deal.”
—–
Translator’s Note:
Looool immediately got found out.
Editor’s Note:
These two are literal children 😭😭