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Chapter : 24
Even Extras Prefer to Avoid the Death Route (24)
“Hmm, predictable.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing.”
Inside the rattling carriage,
Eiat muttered to himself while glancing at the business proposal Taron had handed him, regarding the Tartan Kingdom.
It requested the essential materials needed to open a shipping route and, at the same time, proposed building a port in the Tartan Kingdom.
But the conditions were absurdly unreasonable.
As if it were intentionally written so that the deal would fail.
“Soon, it will all go to Ruella anyway.”
Eiat thought.
Ever since he got engaged to Ruella, Emperor Graham had been assigning him utterly absurd tasks.
And if he, as expected, failed to accomplish them, only then would a proper situation be set up and everything credited to Ruella.
Because of this, Eiat’s already precarious position—shaken by his mania—was slowly being consumed by Ruella.
“Sigh.”
“Your Highness, are you feeling unwell?”
“No, I’ll just rest my eyes for a bit. Wake me when we arrive.”
“Understood.”
Eiat accepted it as inevitable.
He felt powerless against the immense wall of mania.
Perhaps Ruella, beloved as she was, standing in a position of actual power, was for the good of everyone.
But being used as a tool for that purpose didn’t sit well with him.
The feeling of being a “prince in name only” refused to fade.
Eiat slowly closed his eyes.
A short while later, they arrived at the Tartan Kingdom sooner than expected.
“Your Highness, it is an honor to have you visit in person. I am the first prince, Heinz.”
Heinz greeted Eiat formally as he stepped out of the carriage.
“…Yes, pleased to meet you.”
Eiat lifted his gaze and paused for a moment when he saw Heinz’s face.
A burn scar covered almost one side of his face.
Eiat had heard of the scar before, but he hadn’t expected Heinz to display it so openly.
Concealing his surprise as best as he could, Eiat answered calmly.
“I have prepared lunch; I will show you to it.”
Nodding, Eiat followed Heinz to the dining room.
Before a table laden with luxurious dishes, a woman stood.
“This is my wife, Laura.”
Heinz introduced Laura as he stepped closer to her.
“Pleased to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
After brief greetings, the three sat around the table and began eating.
“You two seem very close.”
Eiat remarked as he watched them naturally care for each other during the meal.
“Oh, sorry. It’s just a habit…”
Laura gave a sheepish smile and withdrew her hand offering the food.
“I didn’t mean it in a bad way; it’s a compliment.”
“Thank you… a bit embarrassing, though.”
Laura bowed slightly, glancing shyly at Heinz.
The affection in their eyes was unmistakable.
Eiat couldn’t help but feel a bitter taste linger in his mouth for some reason.
After finishing the meal, the two men, leaving Laura aside, moved to the reception room.
Only after the maid served tea did they begin discussing business.
“Hmm.”
Throughout the conversation, Heinz listened with a peculiar expression, carefully pondering Eiat’s words.
Eiat observed Heinz for a moment, then set the documents down on the table, stopping mid-sentence.
“Just refuse it.”
“…Pardon?”
Heinz blinked in surprise at the sudden words.
“Refuse it. As you can see, this proposal was made for that purpose.”
He spoke with a tone of having relinquished everything.
“I see.”
“Someone else will come later, so you can review it again and accept it then.”
Heinz stared at Eiat for a moment, then smiled faintly.
“Your Highness, may I ask a somewhat personal question?”
Taken aback, Eiat paused but nodded calmly.
“I had already heard much about you.”
“…I see.”
It wasn’t shocking information.
Mania appeared unpredictably, and it was impossible to hide.
As a friendly neighboring nation, it was hardly unknown.
Even the knights stationed outside the door made it obvious.
“I just wondered if you’ve had to give up many things because of it.”
Heinz, who had maintained a smiling face until now, suddenly looked serious.
“…Why would that matter to you?”
Eiat regretted the sharpness in his words, but it was too late to take them back.
He wasn’t very skilled in conversations with others.
“I don’t know if it’s comparable, but… as you can see, my face is like this too.”
“….”
“Although the proposal was made to be refused, your explanation left a strong impression.”
Heinz picked up the proposal and slowly read through it.
“Even after explaining the details beyond what was written here, you still said that—it’s a bit curious.”
“That is…”
Eiat struggled to answer Heinz’s sharp question.
He loved the empire more than anyone and wanted it to prosper.
But he believed that showing his sincerity would be pointless.
No one would listen to the crown prince everyone feared and avoided.
“May I tell you a little about myself?”
Heinz, watching Eiat intently, smiled again.
Eiat slowly nodded and met his gaze.
“This scar appeared as soon as I became the heir.”
Heinz traced the scar lightly with his fingertips.
“Not exactly a pleasant sight.”
His calm words still conveyed the incompletely healed injury.
“At first, I was constantly trying to hide it and thought of myself as truly ugly.”
Eiat gazed silently at the scar.
It was so twisted that the original skin could hardly be recognized.
Whether it was visible or not, Heinz had similar thoughts to Eiat.
“I also wondered countless times whether someone like me deserved to stand as the heir.”
Listening to Heinz, Eiat reflected on his own feelings.
Everything Heinz spoke of as if it were past events was fresh and immediate to Eiat.
“And then, Laura appeared before me.”
Heinz’s expression changed instantly at the mention of Laura’s name.
Seeing the happiness on his face, Eiat couldn’t help but smile faintly.
“I thought no one would see me because of this hideous appearance, but she reached out her hand.”
“I see.”
“At first, I thought it was pity, then I thought she had an ulterior motive.”
“….”
“Ha, well, I was still a prince, after all.”
Eiat felt a strange sensation as he watched Heinz smile softly.
At the edge of that feeling, someone’s face came to mind.
“The human heart is cunning. You can vow never to trust, then find yourself wanting to.”
It was as if Heinz saw right through him.
Eiat struggled to calm his throbbing heart.
“Oh dear, this story has gotten long.”
“…It’s fine.”
“You must be tired from traveling, so I’ll make sure you rest well today.”
With Heinz’s words, the two stood and faced each other.
“There’s still some time before you return. I hope we can talk more until then.”
Heinz smiled again warmly and extended his hand.
“Alright.”
After a brief hesitation, Eiat reached out and shook his hand.
“Ha… tougher than I expected.”
On the second day of Eiat’s business trip, I was busy designing.
I thought it would be simple, but there were surprisingly many things to handle.
Thankfully, the head pastry chef helped; alone, it would have taken twice as long.
“Phew.”
I finished today’s work and stood up.
It was exhausting, but honestly, more enjoyable than tiring.
Looking at the piles of papers covering the desk, I felt a surge of satisfaction.
“Ah, now’s not the time for that.”
Checking the time, lunch had long passed.
I had planned to visit Shell today, so I quickly tidied my desk and left the room.
Stepping out of the palace onto the street, a recent incident came to mind.
‘Better stay alert.’
Luckily, it seemed the death route of this episode had passed, but you never know.
Moreover, I had assumed the incident would only occur inside the palace, but apparently not.
Being cautious couldn’t hurt.
“Oh, you’re here?”
Entering a familiar alley shop, Shell was unusually outside today and greeted me.
“You’re later than I expected. I thought you’d barge in asking all sorts of questions every day.”
Shell’s sly smile made my anger flare, and I shot back.
“Do you think the palace has nothing to do? I’m busy too.”
“Who said anything?”
Raising both hands with a shrug, Shell looked infuriatingly smug.
Definitely not someone I could beat with words.
“So, what are you curious about today?”
Shell flopped onto the sofa and leaned back.
I naturally sat across and continued the conversation.
“You said before that Eiat is doomed to die, and his mania is a device for that.”
“That’s right.”
Shell lazily picked up a teacup from the table that had appeared out of nowhere.
“Is that… like a role?”
“A role?”
“In the novel I read, Eiat was the villain. Ruella—you know who Ruella is, right?”
Shell nodded a few times.
“Yes. Anyway, Ruella was the heroine. But their appearances are very different from what I knew.”
“For example, how different?”
I hesitated, unsure if I should answer.
I didn’t want to speak ill of Ruella, only to find out Shell was an associate of hers.
“Well, uh…”
I paused, and Shell frowned slightly.
“What, why stop mid-sentence?”
“Ah, well…”
“If you’re not going to say it, fine. Then I have nothing to add either.”
“Ah!”
Right, no point in hiding it now.
If Shell were Ruella’s associate, it was already ruined.
“The heroine I read about was kind and gentle.”
“And?”
“After meeting her, that wasn’t really the case.”
“How so?”
Ah, better to just drop it.
Noticing my reluctance, Shell grinned mischievously.
“Just… not entirely kind, huh?”
“Oh, dodging well.”
Shell leaned forward eagerly, face alight with interest.
“Being a protagonist or villain is just a title.”
