35.
“Not bad. We had to make a move sooner or later anyway. It’s fine now while the head of the family is here, but when he passes away, the situation will be a mess. It’ll be tough for us then, so it’s a good idea to prepare in advance.”
Haruna didn’t seem to object, as if she had been thinking about it beforehand as well.
“So you’re planning to use that new slave, Jinhyeon, who was brought in there?”
“He’s not a slave anymore.”
“What? What do you mean he’s not a slave anymore? Did you tear up the slave contract?”
Yu Jin laughed awkwardly at that. To be precise, it wasn’t him who tore up the slave contract, but Keith. Haruna noticed this too.
“Ah, it was you?”
What have you done this time? Haruna glared at Keith with narrowed eyes. Keith shrugged and continued the conversation.
“When should we start implementing the plan?”
It was an obvious attempt to change the subject, but Haruna let it slide. After all, Keith was her only blood relative.
“The sooner, the better. Count Lumine has been showing blatant interest in it recently.”
“Count Lumine?”
Yu Jin felt like he had heard that name somewhere before.
“Don’t you remember? When we went to the opera house for my birthday before. He was the nobleman in the booth right next to us.”
“There was a nobleman next to us?”
He had many days when he wasn’t in his right mind back then, so his memory was hazy. He was probably drunk that day too.
“Yes, he looks like a pretty decent nobleman, but there are some unsavory rumors about him. They say he lives quite a dirty life.”
Moreover, he was dissatisfied with his own life. Usually, if a family has royal blood mixed in, they receive the title of marquis, but not everyone with mixed blood can become a marquis unconditionally. They also calculate how many generations the royal blood has been passed down. And if they judge that the blood has become diluted, they revoke the title.
“Count Lumine is in that situation. So he’s very dissatisfied with his life. He probably wants to become a marquis again. But he doesn’t earn much money, and his influence is ambiguous, so he needs a breakthrough.”
That breakthrough is the back alley. Count Lumine was planning to get his hands on the back alley to start a new business.
“How did you find that out?”
“Hehe, I may not look it, but I’m a capable merchant. Quick information acquisition is essential to properly maintain a trading company. I’ve planted a few people here and there who can relay information.”
In moments like these, Haruna and Keith were undeniably twins. Their actions were similar.
“Well then!”
Haruna clapped her hands as she stood up.
“Let’s get moving right away.”
As Yu Jin also stood up, Haruna extended her hand to point at the bed.
“Yu Jin, you rest. Come on, get into bed quickly. I’ll assign a caregiver for you.”
“It’s not that serious.”
“Your voice sounds monstrous. What are you talking about?”
Haruna forcibly pushed Yu Jin into the bed.
“I’ll relay the message to Jinhyeon, so don’t worry.”
That wasn’t reassuring. Haruna had a fiery temper, what if she got into a fight with Jinhyeon? Yu Jin didn’t want to lose Haruna.
“Can’t you just stay by my side? Please.”
Yu Jin desperately sent a pitiful look. Listen to me, Haruna. Please. Haruna, who was arranging the blanket, flinched when she received that look.
“I can’t.”
She had already half-given in. If someone were to name the person who was weakest against Yu Jin in this world, they could say without hesitation that it was Haruna. Although Keith was more overprotective, he sometimes prevented Yu Jin from acting because of it. But Haruna wasn’t like that.
“Ugh.”
Haruna let out a strange groan.
“You’ll really just stay quietly by my side, right?”
Yu Jin nodded with an innocent expression.
Contrary to her worries, the conversation between Haruna and Jinhyeon flowed smoothly. Jinhyeon didn’t seem to have any particular hostility towards Haruna. As expected of a harem protagonist, he seemed less fierce towards women.
“Alright. Let’s say we do that. How can we trust you? What if you suddenly switch to someone else while working in the back alley?”
Haruna’s words weren’t wrong. From her perspective, she couldn’t fully trust Jinhyeon. At Haruna’s words, Jinhyeon raised the corners of his mouth. Worried that he might explode, Yu Jin poked Haruna’s side with his finger, trying to give her a hint.
“Haruna, Jinhyeon is a trustworthy person.”
Before Yu Jin could finish speaking, Haruna said with a pitiful expression.
“Yu Jin, you shouldn’t trust people too easily. Besides, he’s not even a slave anymore, right? If he betrays us, we’ll have to find someone else.”
She meant that if he betrayed them, she would catch and kill Jinhyeon. Wondering if Jinhyeon had heard this, Yu Jin looked at him and saw that his smile had deepened.
‘He heard.’
What if that bastard holds a grudge? Yu Jin was in a predicament. As he was pondering how to overcome this situation, Jinhyeon opened his mouth.
“I hear there’s something called a magic contract.”
A magic contract was an item that placed restrictions on the parties involved in the contract by enchanting parchment. It was usually used when conducting business that required deep trust, but it was quite expensive. This was because magic wasn’t the only thing needed to create the contract.
When making a magic contract, a priest who served the god of justice was needed along with the magician. Since it could only be created by combining their powers, the price of one contract sheet could buy a house in the capital. Of course, this was based on a commoner’s house, but it still wasn’t a cheap item.
Haruna looked at Jinhyeon with interest.
“Okay, let’s say we write a contract. Then what can you put up? You don’t have anything.”
Although Keith had handed over some assets, it was a very small amount compared to Yu Jin’s wealth. While Haruna and Jinhyeon were arguing, Keith handed Yu Jin a cup of lukewarm tea.
“Drink it slowly.”
It was flower petal tea with honey, which he liked. Even Yu Jin, who disliked tea, often drank this one for its sweetness that followed the bitterness. Yu Jin carefully took a sip of the tea.
“I’ll bet my life.”
And at Jinhyeon’s next words, he spat it right back out.
“Cough, cough.”
As Yu Jin was coughing frantically, Keith rubbed his back with a panicked expression.
“Are you okay?”
Yu Jin raised his hand as if to say he was fine. You crazy bastard! Even if you have nothing to bet, why are you betting your life! But Haruna actually accepted it.
“Alright. That makes me trust you a bit more.”
It was just like Haruna to not fully trust someone even when they bet their life.
“But I have a condition.”
“What is it?”
“Make Yu Jin the subject of the contract.”
At Jinhyeon’s words, Haruna bared her fangs. Yu Jin quickly covered Haruna’s mouth with his hand to stop the words that were about to burst out.
How would Yu Jin know the swear words of this world?
Although there were some curses he had heard from his half-siblings since childhood, more than half of the swear words Yu Jin knew were learned from watching Haruna. Even though Yu Jin himself had cursed at Jinhyeon with every swear word from “son of a bitch” to “fucking bastard,” he still wanted to prevent a dangerous situation.
Despite his desperate efforts, Haruna removed Yu Jin’s hand. Still, for a man and a woman to be overpowered so easily, Yu Jin was dumbfounded at how unexpectedly weak his body was.
“You dare to run your mouth like that? Do you think anything has changed just because you’ve become a commoner? Even now, if I wanted to–!”
Yu Jin threw himself at Haruna again to cover her mouth. This time, Haruna didn’t push Yu Jin away, but her glaring gaze was ominous.
“You too.”
Yu Jin cleared his throat again at his awful voice.
“You know this world now too, Jinhyeon. I’m a noble.”
Nobles could kill commoners without severe punishment. Any small reason could justify most actions.
“I know that too. But you won’t touch me, right?”
Jinhyeon meant that he knew his place.
“I’ll act according to the situation, so don’t worry.”
I wish you’d behave politely even now, before Haruna gets angry and stands up.
“Let’s write the contract first.”
“Are you really going to do it, Yu Jin?”
Haruna looked very displeased. Keith seemed the same. But Yu Jin didn’t back down. If Jinhyeon wanted it, he should do as he wishes. That’s how he could survive and enjoy his later years even after Jinhyeon takes over the continent.
“There won’t be any problem if the contract isn’t broken, right?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Given the situation, Jinhyeon wouldn’t make unreasonable demands either. That’s what Yu Jin believed. Fortunately, there was a magic contract stored in the mansion, so they decided to proceed with the contract right there.
“As I said earlier, I’ll bet my life.”
Then what should I bet? The easiest thing would be money. But that wasn’t what Jinhyeon wanted.
“You bet your body.”
“What?”
“You’re insane.”
Keith stood up grinding his teeth and picked up his sword, and Haruna pulled out a dagger from who knows where she had hidden it. Even though both of them were armed, Jinhyeon was sitting comfortably on the sofa with his back against it.
