ICHV 8

Chapter 8

Speaking politely was all well and good, but why had he suddenly become so stingy?

“You’re trying to get a discount of six whole gallons. And I don’t think forty gallons was a reasonable price for the firewood last time, either.”

Rody was even trying to reopen the negotiations over their previous transaction.

Why has he suddenly become so sharp, too?

“No, that was the right price! I didn’t insist on getting it for that amount. We mutually agreed on it, and we settled on a price amicably. Actually, didn’t you tell me last time that I could pay whatever I thought was appropriate? You can’t go back on your word now! A deal is a deal!”

Sella stood her ground firmly.

“Miss Sella.”

Miss Sella? Now he’s calling me by my name?

Well, what mattered right now wasn’t how he addressed her. It was the price negotiation.

“Yes!”

Sella answered combatively, even thrusting her chest forward a little.

“You said you needed money, didn’t you?”

“…Yes. Why?”

Sella had been determined to put an end to any further arguments about the price of the firewood. But when Rody suddenly changed the subject, her voice unconsciously grew quieter, and her tone rose at the end of her question.

Why is he asking me that all of a sudden? Has he perhaps decided to lend me some money?

“If your older sister returns, do you intend to remain at the orphanage? Or are you considering finding employment somewhere else? As far as I know, adult orphans can be hired through an arrangement in which several years’ worth of wages are paid in advance as a lump sum. If you need money, finding a job might be an option.”

Huh?

Sella looked at Rody again. The man she had thought was simply bad at speaking was suddenly speaking remarkably well.

He had also become so strict about money.

It was as if he had turned into a completely different person overnight. But why was he interested in what she planned to do with her life?

“Why are you asking me that?”

“I think I might be able to find you a job.”

So he wasn’t going to lend her money but introduce her to a job instead?

Hmm…

It was a little disappointing, but if she could find employment quickly and start earning money, that was another possible solution.

If she asked the director to give her some time to repay her sister’s debt, perhaps she could pay off the debt for the dress first and then bring her sister back.

As it happened, a rumor had spread through the village several years ago that Sella had temporarily gone mad after surviving a bout of fever. That made it difficult for her to find work locally.

That was why, unlike Betty, who had planned to find work at the market, Sella had decided to apply for a maid position in a noble household where the rumors about her hadn’t spread.

Of course, that plan had already gone awry.

“I’d be happy if you could find me a job! But where would it be?”

“As a servant helping someone who lives here on Mount Tolto…”

“Ah…!”

Of all places, it had to be Mount Tolto.

This was one of the suspected places where the hidden villain was supposed to be living. She absolutely couldn’t work here.

Ever since she had begun to suspect that the hidden villain might be hiding somewhere on this mountain, she had already felt uneasy about coming here to order firewood.

“This place is a little… difficult for me.”

“Why is it difficult?”

Sella hesitated for a moment at Rody’s question.

Should I ask him about it?

He was a woodcutter, after all. Surely he knew everything that went on in the mountains.

Perhaps he had even heard rumors about suspicious people living up there, or someone who was insane, or other unusual incidents.

“Lord Rody, have you ever heard a rumor that a member of the imperial family lives on Mount Tolto?”

It was widely known that the former Crown Prince, who had suffered from bouts of madness, had disappeared without a trace. So asking about him in this way shouldn’t seem particularly strange.

“…What?”

“You know, the former Crown Prince who disappeared. I heard a rumor that he lives somewhere in the mountains, and I was wondering whether he might be living here.”

“Who knows…? Why are you curious about that?”

“Oh, I happened to hear the rumor in passing. I don’t think people would spread something like that for no reason… Besides, they say the former Crown Prince is a little insane. There are even creepy rumors that several people who stayed by his side ended up dead.”

Sella lowered her voice as she spoke, almost whispering.

As she continued talking, she began to feel as though, if the hidden villain really did live here, he might be able to hear her voice.

There was a reason he was called the hidden villain, after all.

The thought made her body tremble slightly.

Yes, Mount Tolto really is dangerous.

From a distance, the trees were so densely packed that the whole mountain looked pitch-black. Even its appearance seemed to scream, Hidden villain! Hidden villain!

“Are you cold?”

“No, I’m not cold. I’m scared! The more I talk about it, the more I feel like the former Crown Prince might actually be living on this mountain. Mount Tolto is enormous, isn’t it? There must be plenty of places where someone could hide!”

“…”

Rody frowned slightly and scratched his forehead.

Perhaps he was frightened, too. But maybe he was too embarrassed to tremble like she was, so he was pretending to be brave instead.

“Lord Rody, you’re scared, too, aren’t you? It’s all right, it’s all right. I heard that the crazy man even killed people. It’s only natural to be afraid. If you weren’t scared, that would be even more psychotic… abnormal. Any normal person would be frightened, so there’s no need to feel ashamed.”

Huh?

She had only meant to reassure him that fear was a natural emotion and that he shouldn’t be embarrassed about it. So why did his expression look even worse now?

The vein on Rody’s forehead had become so prominent that she could practically see it throbbing.

But wasn’t that usually a sign that someone was furious and desperately trying to suppress their anger?

Perhaps merely thinking about the hidden villain was enough to make him angry.

Well, Rody seemed like the sort of man who couldn’t even kill an ant.

Maybe he had an instinctive aversion to evil deeds.

“Lord Rody, are you all right?”

Sella asked as she grasped his arm firmly.

Without saying a word, Rody lowered his gaze to the hand gripping his arm.

His contorted expression had returned to normal, as though physical contact had calmed him down.

Ah… So he really was scared rather than angry.

Just holding his hand seemed to make his expression relax like that.

Well, when you were frightened, having someone hold your hand did make things a little less scary. Even the babies at the orphanage would crawl into her arms whenever they had frightening thoughts.

This man has a surprisingly childish side to him…

“In any case, since there are rumors like that, wouldn’t it be better for me to find a job somewhere else? What if I accept a job without knowing anything, only to discover that I’ve ended up working for the former Crown Prince? What if I’m that unlucky? And even if I don’t end up working in his household, I might run into him while traveling back and forth across Mount Tolto. So, if you could introduce me to a job, could you please find me a position in a household far away from this village, with a kind, generous, and good-natured master?”

In reality, there was no chance that she would end up working for Rodiak.

Before his bouts of madness began, Rodiak, the former Crown Prince and hidden male lead, had been the very embodiment of nobility. Every word he spoke and every action he took had been filled with elegance and intelligence.

That was precisely why he had voluntarily withdrawn from the world. He didn’t want anyone to see him in such a disheveled and uncontrolled state.

The novel had mentioned that he maintained contact with a single subordinate, but even that person met with him only when absolutely necessary.

So until he emerged from seclusion because of the heroine, there was no way someone like Sella would be employed by him.

Still, as she had told Rody, there was absolutely nothing to gain by taking a job in a place suspected of being the hidden villain’s residence.

“…”

Strangely, however, Rody said nothing. He simply stared intently at Sella with deep eyes that seemed capable of seeing straight through her thoughts.

Why is he looking at me like that?

“Oh, I guess you really don’t know anything about it.”

Feeling uncomfortable under the intense, unreadable gaze of such an exceptionally handsome man, Sella turned her head slightly and spoke.

“Do you dislike insane men?”

Rody’s baffling question forced her to look at him again immediately.

What kind of question is that? Is there anyone who actually likes insane men?

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“…I suppose so.”

What a pointless question.

Yet Rody’s expression darkened again, and an ominous feeling seemed to seep out of him.

Maybe there really is something wrong with the atmosphere on this mountain. Even standing here doing nothing seems to make this childish man’s expression grow darker and darker.

“By the way, Lord Rody, how did you learn to speak politely so quickly?”

Sella deliberately raised her voice to change the mood and steer the conversation in another direction.

It was something she had been curious about for a while. She had thought he was an ignorant woodcutter who had received no education, but…

Today, his speech was remarkably refined. Even his pronunciation and manner of speaking were elegant.

“Learn how to speak… Haah, you’re saying that to me right now… No, never mind.”

“…?”

What do you mean, never mind?

“As for jobs outside Mount Tolto, I don’t know anything about them. So let’s forget that discussion. Shall we return to the price of the firewood? Last time, I wasn’t familiar with the market price. There is such a thing as maintaining order in the market, after all. I think I should charge fifty gallons for fifty bundles of firewood.”

At Rody’s words, Sella’s heart began to pound wildly.

Why does this man keep challenging the price of the firewood?! I desperately need every single penny!

“Forty gallons for fifty bundles. That’s the price we agreed on. You can’t change the terms now!”

Sella deliberately adopted an even more assertive attitude.

“Hmm…”

The man seemed to be considering her words.

“I told you last time! A deal is a deal!”

In her desperation, Sella once again brought out her trump card: A deal is a deal!

“A deal… Is that really a saying? I’ve never heard it before. A phrase I’ve never heard of… Does it come from another world?”

“Of course! It’s a very common expression where I come from! We’ve already done business at that price, so you absolutely cannot suddenly raise it now!”

“It isn’t a common expression where I come from. Therefore, I will raise the price.”

What the hell? He should have come back with nothing but refined speech. Why has he also become so stubborn?

There was even a subtle sense of intimidation in his voice.

Wasn’t the person who spoke the loudest supposed to win?

His sudden change in attitude left her flustered. After all, she really had been the one who had driven the price down in the first place.

But she couldn’t back down now.

“Then I’ll have to look for another woodcutter. Someone who can sell me the firewood for forty gallons. There must be other woodcutters on Mount Tolto…”

“Let’s make it forty gallons!”