LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 7
The room was moved.
Before pushing me into the new room, Liam warned me with a cold expression.
“You will pay the price for speaking lies in front of His Highness, the Duke.”
Honestly, I was scared. It was really intimidating.
The way he spoke so seriously made me wonder just how bad the prison they’d lock me in would be.
However, the reality that faced me was a far cry from what I expected.
“Do they really not know what a bad environment is?”
Thud.
I lay down on the soft mattress and rolled around.
The window had iron bars, and it seemed the direction had changed, so no light came in properly.
At first, I was a little tense from the damp atmosphere of the room, but after spending just one night, all my worries disappeared.
‘Since the light doesn’t come in well in the morning, I can sleep in comfortably!’
Honestly, the only thing I missed in this mansion was the lack of blackout curtains.
But now that it was naturally solved, I couldn’t be more satisfied.
Of course, the ominous word “price” may have been true, as the space in the room was much smaller. There was barely enough room to move once the bed was in.
But even that wasn’t a problem for me, since I could handle everything from the bed.
The simplified and light meals were comfortable on my stomach, and I liked that I could eat them from my bed.
‘When I used to play games for 13 hours a day, I survived on energy drinks and sandwiches for a week at a time.’
Fools.
They didn’t even know I was a homebody who had risen from hell.
If I had to choose between receiving 1 billion and living without contact with the outside world for 10 years, or just living normally, I would choose the 1 billion without hesitation.
In that case, the money I didn’t receive would exceed 15 billion…
‘I’m just built like this.’
Since I had planned to hide inside under the guise of punishment anyway, this was actually a better outcome than what I had wanted.
For the time being, no one would bother me.
“Ah, this is nice…”
They said they were locking me in a prison, but they even changed the bed sheets every two days.
Maybe that’s why the soft smell of sunshine made me feel good quickly.
Just as I was about to fall into a light sleep, burying my face in the fluffy blanket.
“It’s Liam.”
At the perfect timing, I heard Liam’s voice.
‘What now? What’s going on?’
Not responding, I was starting to feel irritated, and he asked again.
“May I come in?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
I sat on the bed, making it clear that I was tired.
Liam entered and adjusted his glasses with his fingers as usual.
What is this feeling, as if he’s always giving me trouble? Though, it’s probably just in my head.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s a message from His Highness the Duke.”
“…A message?”
A faint trace of embarrassment appeared on his usually solemn face, but he quickly spoke boldly.
“His Highness the Duke is treating Princess April of the Salt Kingdom as a distinguished guest and is providing luxurious accommodations and strict guards. He would like to receive an appropriate price in return.”
What?
When did kidnapping become treating someone as a distinguished guest? When did surveillance become a guard?
And when did this prison-like life, which would be unbearable for ordinary people, become a luxurious stay?
I couldn’t hide my suspicious gaze as I looked up at Liam.
Anyway, I needed to figure out what they wanted from me before questioning that later.
“Price? What’s that?”
“The construction of the Duke’s dam has been delayed recently.”
“Are you telling me to help with the construction as the price for this grand treatment?”
At my question, Liam shook his head with an expression of disbelief.
“No. The princess needs to find the cause of the delay and come up with a solution.”
“What if it’s difficult?”
“Well…”
Liam answered stiffly, as usual, with a businesslike tone.
“Then… something you can probably imagine will happen.”
Although I wasn’t sure exactly what I was imagining, I could tell that this was a warning that something unpleasant would happen.
I rubbed my forehead, feeling the exhaustion and weariness of the world.
‘It’s not like I can avoid it anyway.’
Even if I tried to deny it, the Duke would find out soon that I had worked as a deputy for the Empire of Lemeia.
In that case, wouldn’t it be better to prove myself useful as a slave and save my life rather than endure a miserable death?
Since there’s no way to escape or refuse, maybe it would be better to get it over with quickly and rest afterward.
Besides, I had already said something before.
“I don’t expect to be sent back, but honestly, I’m someone who works hard when it comes to one thing. If you spare my life, I’ll serve you without pay and work to the bone!”
At that time, I just wanted to live, so I said anything… But the Duke really listened to that and didn’t send me back. Instead, he put me in this dark paradise.
Sigh. Well, what can I do?
“Do you have any related documents?”
“Here they are. If needed, I can go with guards to do an inspection…”
“That’s fine.”
Since I didn’t want to cause trouble, I took the documents Liam handed me and began to read them carefully.
‘Hmm.’
The contents were exactly as the Duke had conveyed. The dam construction was delayed, and the project was stagnating.
Usually, large-scale constructions like this involved the mobilization of local villagers, but the problem was that it was late summer, just before harvest season.
If the construction wasn’t completed quickly, it could significantly affect the livelihood and food production of the people in the Duke’s lands.
“By the way, there’s something else I need to tell you.”
“What now?”
As I continued to focus on the text, I quickly received an answer.
“The deadline is two weeks.”
“What happens if it’s not finished by then?”
“You probably already know without me saying. The things you imagine…”
“Got it.”
I nodded obediently.
What else could I do? If they ask me to do something with this kind of threatening(?) labor, I’m used to it by now.
At least they let me sleep and eat while making me work, so I’ll just be content with that.
I tried to stay positive and turned to the next page.
* * *
The Duke clearly expected that April would have something to offer. Liam also agreed with this view.
As soon as April was kidnapped, the food import issue was passed, and a fundamental mistake that a princess from Lemeia would never make occurred.
But that was all.
“Just this isn’t enough to judge April Salt.”
So they decided to ask for advice on the dam construction.
The solution was simple: send workers to complete the task in a short period.
But the problem was the method. How could they recruit additional workers at this time of year, right before the harvest, when all the estates were busy?
Even if they found a group specialized in this kind of task, it would take too long to form a contract and move them to the Duke’s lands, and the cost would ultimately be a loss.
“In the end, no matter how hard we try, the solution will be imperfect.”
In the Duke’s office, after Liam delivered the message to April, the Duke spoke calmly from where he was sitting at his desk.
“But just in case, I’ve arranged to use the existing budget.”
“What will you do if a proper solution is proposed?”
The Duke chuckled at Liam’s question.
“That would actually be a welcome thing. That’s why I’m doing this annoying task.”
“I still don’t understand…”
“All will be revealed after the task is done.”
“…Understood.”
The deadline was only two weeks.
Liam expected that April would come up with a solution that involved some loss on her part.
That evening, when a knight guarding April’s quarters came to report, Liam still held the same thought.
“Excuse me, Aide.”
“What’s going on?”
“The guest is looking for you.”
Liam immediately stood up and headed toward the room where April was staying.
‘Is she giving up?’
It was a natural question, as it would be hard to resolve the issue that day without some miracle.
“What is it?”
“Were you working this late?”
“The Duke’s aide must always be on standby.”
“…Tough.”
April didn’t seem nervous at all, even though she had called him earlier than expected, despite having said she would call him tomorrow.
“So, what is it? Are you giving up?”
“No, please send this for me.”
As various thoughts crossed his mind, April handed him a thin letter.