I Was a Fool to Expect Mercy from a Beast
I yawned languidly as I shuffled toward the dining hall. Dark circles hung heavy beneath my eyes, and my entire body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. I had stayed up all night with Viola’s couriers, checking distribution routes across the slums and the fortress while cross-referencing ledgers.
“Hey! Why the hell is breakfast so late today? Bring me a bottle of wine, and make it quick!”
I barged into the dining hall, crossed my legs arrogantly on a chair, and barked out the order. The knights and servants shot me looks full of pure contempt. I could practically hear their thoughts.
That worthless scum. The whole castle is in a festive mood because a saint has appeared to save the territory’s people, yet all he does is drink.
I deliberately grumbled loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Ugh, my head’s killing me from all that expensive southern wine I drank last night. This is exactly why you shouldn’t eat that cheap northern side dish crap.”
One of the servants carrying plates began trembling with rage. Of course, the wine was actually the cheap stuff I’d asked Viola to swap in.
Yeah, go ahead and curse me all you want.
I smirked inwardly and slurped down the warm hangover soup that had been served. I’d heard the people’s reaction was extremely positive. The first hurdle was cleared. Since no one would starve to death for the time being, it was time to move on to the next step.
After finishing my meal roughly, I staggered back to the annex. But then—
BANG!!
“…Whoa, that scared me.”
Less than a minute after I entered, the door burst open so violently it nearly shattered. It was Giselle.
Why is she suddenly here?
Giselle stared down at the empty wine bottles rolling across my floor and at my disheveled appearance. Her usual gaze of contempt was there, but today it felt… slightly different somehow.
“…Those luxury goods you brought in yesterday,” Giselle began in a low, sunken voice. “Were they truly luxury items?”
“…Pfft.”
I nearly spat out my drink. I had expected this, but hearing it out loud still left me speechless. Cold sweat trickled down my spine. If I got caught here, it was over. If the emperor learned I was helping the North, I would be screwed, and Giselle would lose me and continue down the original story’s path.
I steadied my mind, letting my eyes go half-lidded as I grinned sloppily.
“What kind of fresh nonsense is this? If it wasn’t my carpet and wine, what—did you think there was dirt in there or something?”
“Early this morning, a massive quantity of food was anonymously distributed across the entire North.”
Giselle took one step closer, her words sharp as blades.
“The only carriage capable of slipping through the imperial surveillance network was yours. The scale of the food matches the 100,000 gold you took. Answer me. Did you do this?”
A faint mix of hope and disbelief shimmered in her eyes. Facing that contradictory gaze, I tossed an empty wine bottle onto the floor.
Clang!
“Bwahaha—hahahaha!!”
I clutched my stomach and burst into laughter.
“Oh man, seriously. Your Grace the Grand Duchess, isn’t your imagination a little too rich?”
“…What’s so funny?”
“Doesn’t it look funny to you? Come on, you know damn well the emperor sent me here to let the North starve to death.”
I staggered to my feet and stumbled right up to her face. She frowned at the stench of alcohol.
“You think I’m crazy enough to stab my father in the back and feed your people? If I get caught, even a member of the imperial family would be executed for treason. Why the hell would I risk my own neck for something like that?”
“……”
“And on top of that, using my precious entertainment funds—100,000 gold? To buy bread for some smelly slum orphans? What’s in it for me?”
I reached out as if to lift her chin with my finger, but when she glared at me with murderous intent, I pulled back and sneered.
“Well, if you’d promised to fall head over heels for me and spread your legs in my bed every night, maybe I’d consider it. But we both look like we want to puke just from seeing each other’s faces. So tell me—what exactly do I gain by helping you?”
On the surface, it sounded like nothing but trash talk. But to Giselle, who understood the brutal realities of politics better than anyone, it was an excruciatingly logical argument.
Her eyes grew icy cold. A spy sent by the emperor. A depraved, pleasure-obsessed wastrel who cared only for his own safety and lust. Could such a beast truly risk everything, with no benefit, to perform an act of pure goodwill?
“…I must have lost my mind for a moment.”
Giselle bit her lip hard, as if ashamed of herself for daring to hope even slightly.
“Of course. There was no way.”
She looked down at me with the same expression one might give filthy sewage.
“I was a fool to expect any human warmth from a beast. Go ahead and rot away in your filthy pleasures for the rest of your life.”
Her cloak flared as she turned and left the room without a shred of hesitation.
Bang!
The door slammed shut. I remained rooted to the spot until the sound of her footsteps completely faded into the distance.
“Haa…”
Once the tension drained away, my legs gave out and I collapsed to the floor. I wiped my face with a dry hand, heart still pounding. Her contemptuous gaze felt like it was stabbing straight into my chest, but there was nothing I could do. In fact, the more firmly she believed I was utter garbage, the easier my future plans would become.
“Ugh, my heart’s still racing. Time to actually get some rest…”
I should probably step outside and get some fresh air first.
— A quiet garden path behind the Grand Duke’s Castle.
The cold, snowy wind helped calm my mind a little as I stood there. Crunch. Crunch. Then I heard careful footsteps approaching from behind, treading on the snow.
“…Oh, for fuck’s sake! Who is it this time!”
Who could it be? Aside from Viola, there wasn’t a single person I spoke with privately.
When I turned around, I saw a fat man with greasy golden hair swept back, wearing a deeply pulled hood. A northern knight’s uniform peeked out from beneath the robe. But the aura he gave off screamed traitor.
“Your Highness the Prince. I hope you have been well.”
The man bowed with a servile smile. The moment I saw his face, all the fatigue from earlier seemed to vanish.
…Baron.
The spy bought by the imperial family, leaking information about the North. The filthy traitor who would open the gates during the upcoming Beast Wave, isolating Giselle and making the territory’s suffering even worse.
Why the hell is this bastard here?
I wanted to slice through that greasy neck right then and there. Because of him, Giselle had suffered so much. But I suppressed the murderous urge surging inside me and kept my usual sleazy expression in place.
“Who do you think you are, talking to me without permission? Don’t the northern dogs even learn basic manners?”
“F-forgive my rudeness, Your Highness! I am Baron, the one in charge of the Grand Duke’s Castle’s 2nd Defense Line.”
Baron approached me cautiously, bowing and scraping.
“I heard that yesterday, when Your Highness purchased those magnificent goods, that arrogant old knight commander tried to draw his sword against you. I was so outraged by such barbaric behavior that I came to see you at once.”
“Oh? So even among you northern savages, there are a few who can actually talk sense.”
When I gave a crooked smirk, Baron’s face lit up with joy. It was obvious—he was completely misunderstanding the situation. After watching me blow 100,000 gold on luxury goods and turn Giselle against me, he must have thought, This prince is the rope the emperor sent to drag down the Grand Duchess!
“Your Highness,” Baron whispered, glancing around before lowering his voice. He pulled something from his robe and offered it to me. It was a thick leather pouch.
Clink.
The sound of coins jingling inside was unmistakable. There was clearly a hefty amount of gold in there.
“What’s this?”
“Your Highness will need more funds to enjoy your pleasures in this barren North. Please consider this a small token of my sincerity.”
Baron smiled greedily and whispered.
“Your Highness. Has the time not come to break free from that arrogant Grand Duchess wench and become the true master of the North? I will lend my strength to the emperor’s great cause.”
Ha. His gall was incredible—proposing rebellion in a place not even that far from where Giselle was. My blood boiled. The man responsible for the North’s defense line was secretly bribing the enemy and plotting to stab everyone in the back.
I should cut his head off right here and now. And yet…
I stared quietly at the pouch of gold he offered.
…Well, if he’s giving it, I might as well take it.
When I thought about it, this was actually perfect. Continuing the shadow distribution network and moving Viola would require enormous slush funds. I had been worrying about where to get more money since there was a limit to draining Giselle’s personal assets. And here this stupid pig had walked right up and offered me war funds on a silver platter.
Besides, killing him immediately carried a high risk that the other treasonous nobles he was colluding with would scatter like rats.
Right. I need to uproot them all at once.
The best scenario was to put this guy at ease, extract the full list of nobles involved in the rebellion, then cut off all their heads the moment they let their guard down.
Having made up my mind, I plastered a greedy smile across my face. I snatched the pouch of gold Baron offered and weighed it in my hand.
“Bwahaha! Yes! It’s nice and heavy. I like it.”
I pulled out one gold coin, tossed it into the air, caught it, and grinned at Baron.
“Who would’ve thought that among these northern country bumpkin savages there’d be someone so clever and quick-witted. I’m very pleased.”
“T-thank you, Your Highness! I will serve you with my bones and blood!”
Overcome with emotion, Baron dropped to the ground and tried to kiss the top of my foot. I fought back the urge to vomit and patted his shoulder a couple of times.
“Enough of that. Then go on and become my loyal hunting dog, Baron.”
“Yes! I will keep it in mind, Your Highness!”