A Dangerous Bargain
Lady Linet Estupina rushed over to me, her face pale with worry. "What on earth were you thinking, drinking that poison in my place?!"
"I simply didn't want to see you collapse from poison, my lady. That is all."
The lady sank into a chair and let out a heavy sigh. "Sigh... You really are as eccentric as the rumors say, Special Scholarship Student."
"I suppose I am a bit unusual."
A brief silence fell over the room before Linet spoke up again. "Are you... feeling alright now?"
"Thanks to the antidote you gave me, I'm bursting with energy."
Actually, it was thanks to the Spring of Life, but...
Linet let out a long breath of relief. "Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness..."
"So, did you find the culprit?"
"Yes. But when my people went to apprehend the suspect we deduced, it seems they met a grim end."
Silenced, of course. No matter how I look at it, the Crown Prince is a total psychopath.
"My lady, you must not repeat what I am about to tell you to anyone."
"What is it that requires such secrecy?"
"I know who the real culprit is."
Linet's eyes widened in shock. "What... What do you mean? You know the real culprit?"
"It is His Highness, the Crown Prince."
"Do you have proof? If you're wrong, this is treason—lèse-majesté...!"
"I don't have concrete physical evidence, but I know exactly why the Crown Prince attempted to assassinate you."
"No, if you don't have definitive proof, I won't listen to this."
She made a move to stand up, but I grabbed her hand and gently pulled her back down.
"Hear me out to the end. At the very least, you won't lose anything by listening."
"..."
I noticed Linet's lower lip trembling slightly. It was only natural, considering the target of my accusation was the Crown Prince. I continued in a calm, measured tone.
"Currently, His Highness harbors romantic feelings for another woman."
"What...?"
"However, since he is already betrothed to you, he needed to break off the engagement in order to pursue a relationship with her."
"Just... Just to break an engagement, he tried to murder me?"
"Breaking an engagement with one of the Empire's Four Great Ducal Families would have placed immense political pressure on the Crown Prince. He couldn't risk ruining relations with Duke Estupina. Thus, he chose assassination as his solution."
Linet's eyes lost their focus. She looked completely dazed.
"How can you possibly know that? How can you be so sure!"
"Because I witnessed it myself, with my own two eyes."
Of course, I had never actually seen it. But as someone who read the original novel, it was an undeniable fact... I pressed on.
"Not long ago, I happened to witness the Crown Prince whispering sweet nothings to another woman. You know I possess Aura, correct? Naturally, my senses are sharp enough to have overheard their conversation."
"...There is no falsehood in what you say, is there?"
"Why would I lie to you? Especially after I literally drank poison on your behalf."
"..."
Linet squeezed her eyes shut, clutching her head with both hands. Judging by her furrowed brow, her mind was in complete turmoil. I seized the moment to make a proposal.
"My lady, why don't you take the initiative and demand to break off the engagement yourself?"
"Such matters... are not mine to decide..."
"You won't know until you try."
"In the first place, my engagement to the Crown Prince was forced upon me by my family! What... what do you even know about me?!"
I know everything. I know what kind of life you've lived, what you truly want to do, and how your family treats you behind closed doors. I know it all. Because I'm a possessor.
I gently took both of her hands in mine and spoke.
"If you cannot do it, then I will speak to the Crown Prince myself. I will make him send the request to break the engagement first."
"He resorted to assassination precisely because he couldn't do that! Why would he ever agree to your demands?"
"Do not worry, and leave it to me. My lady, don't you have a dream you wish to achieve at all costs?"
"How do you..."
"Your desire to obtain the Mandragora—wasn't it all for the sake of your alchemy?"
Linet Estupina's dream was to become a master alchemist. She loved alchemy more than anyone and possessed an undeniable genius for it, but simply because she could not inherit Duke Estupina's title, she was destined to be sacrificed as a pawn in a political marriage.
To have something you want to do, to possess the talent and passion for it, yet never even get the chance to try—isn't that incredibly tragic? Spurred by that thought, I made my final push to persuade her.
"This is an opportunity that will never come again. You remember our promise, don't you? To act as my backer. That is all you need to do. I will handle the negotiations with the Crown Prince myself."
"Negotiate with him directly? You would throw yourself into such folly?"
"Because I know everything about His Highness."
Linet stared blankly at my face, which remained entirely unperturbed. Finally, she made her decision.
"...I will trust you. At the very least, I have nothing to lose. 'Hound, the man of results,' was it? That nickname of yours has proven true so far."
"'Hound, the man of results'? I rather like the sound of that."
"Call me Linet. Or Lady Linet. Since we are partners now, we can dispense with those stiff, formal titles."
Was this really the same lady I knew from the novel? The one who was so rigid and uptight... Perhaps she was deeply affected by what the Crown Prince had done.
"Understood, Lady Linet. I have one last favor to ask."
"What is it? As long as it is within my power, I will grant it."
"Arrange a meeting between myself and the Crown Prince. In absolute secrecy, of course."
Linet's gaze turned solemn. "When?"
"Anytime is fine."
"Very well. Once the schedule is set, I will send Winchester. He is my exclusive knight. If you have any other requests or need to contact me, go through him."
"Understood."
With those final words, she left the room.
"Sigh..."
A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I contemplated what lay ahead. Requesting a private audience with the Crown Prince in an era where the imperial authority reigned supreme, even with the backing of one of the Four Great Ducal Families... No matter how much meta-knowledge I possessed, this was an incredibly reckless gamble. It was on a completely different scale compared to dealing with Lutera or Winstone.
Still, I had to try. This world was full of things you'd never know unless you took the leap.
The moment I stepped into the classroom, every single student's gaze locked onto me.
What's this? Did I really become that famous?
I did my best to ignore the staring eyes and took my seat. That was when Ronia, who was already seated, spoke to me.
"You seem to have recovered quite well. I'm so glad."
"A little deadly poison is nothing. Have you ever heard of 'Immunity to a Thousand Poisons'?"
"Immunity to... what now?"
A massive question mark practically materialized over her head. Ah, right. This was a romance fantasy world; she wouldn't get the reference. I had only thrown it out because I suddenly remembered a friend back in my original world who got stung by a bee and claimed he had 'Immunity to a Thousand Poisons.' A joke that requires an explanation is a failed joke...
To change the subject, I asked Ronia, "By the way, didn't you say exam period was coming up soon?"
"Yes, it starts today."
"Today?!"
I haven't studied at all. Well, not that I ever planned on trying particularly hard, but still...
"Why don't you try skimming through a book now? The first exam is Imperial Language."
"Imperial Language, huh? That sounds like it won't be easy."
"Hehe, don't worry. I'll help you as much as I possibly can."
"You're the best, Lady Ronia! Thank you."
"Oh, it's nothing."
Just as we were having our pleasant conversation, Micaris slid into the seat next to me.
"You two seem to be getting along quite well...?"
"Mica! Lord Hound mentioned he hadn't studied at all, so I was just offering to help him out."
"..."
Every time I feel Micaris staring at me like that, my entire body freezes up. Is this what it feels like to look at Medusa from the myths...?
While a strange tension hung in the air, the Imperial Language professor walked in.
"As you all know, today is the exam. The teaching assistants will distribute the test papers. You may begin the moment the barrier is erected."
A barrier? They had those here? After two teaching assistants handed out the papers, a short mage entered the room. The mage chanted an unintelligible incantation, and a blue barrier instantly expanded, completely obscuring everything around me.
Is this some kind of anti-cheating measure?
I could feel a gaze piercing through the barrier surrounding me. There must be a monitoring eye attached to it.
As expected of the Empire's top academy, they really don't cut corners.
It made me realize all over again how incredible the original Hound was for getting into this place despite being a mere commoner.
And so, the exam began. However...
Perhaps it was because I had spent my previous life reading nothing but web novels, but the readability of the passages and sentences was so atrocious it actually irritated me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I massaged the bridge of my nose.
This is seriously so hard to read.
But it wasn't like I could call the professor over and demand to know if they actually expected humans to read this garbage. There were no web novels in this world... For now, I just had to solve it.
Contrary to my worries, the Imperial Language exam was surprisingly simple. It was basically just a basic reading comprehension test. The college entrance exams in my past life were probably a hundred, if not a thousand times harder. As I breezed through the questions, the blue barrier eventually dissolved.
"Time is up. Make sure your names are written on your papers, and take your hands off your desks. Please wait until the teaching assistants collect your exams."
Somehow... sitting like this brings back old memories. Well, my current life is far more entertaining, so I don't exactly miss the past.
After wrapping up several liberal arts and history exams, it was time for the mathematics exam. However...
It was too easy. Ridiculously so. Any high schooler who studied even a little back home could probably get a perfect score with their eyes closed. The only problem was that it had been so long since I had actually studied that my memory was failing me.
Ah, I know this one.
I had definitely learned it, solved it countless times... but the memory was just out of reach.
I shouldn't have majored in humanities...
Once the exams were finally over, I headed to the cafeteria with Ronia and Micaris.
"Are you having the veal steak again today?"
"Of course. You should try it sometime. It's absolutely incredible."
"I'll pass on such heavy food..."
"I also prefer a lighter course meal."
As we were exchanging idle chatter, Winchester, Linet's exclusive knight, approached us.
"A message from the Lady. Follow me."
"..."
Judging by his sour expression, he still doesn't like me one bit. What, does he have a crush on the lady or something? Stealing someone's girl isn't really my style, but... well, just consider it bad luck on your part.
I turned to Ronia and Micaris.
"I'm sorry, but it looks like I won't be able to join you for lunch today. I have some business to attend to..."
"It's fine. You've seemed quite busy lately anyway."
"Don't worry about it. It's only a single meal, after all."
They really are angels. It breaks my heart to remember how pitiful their fates were in the original novel... Just thinking about it makes me want to tear up.
Just as I was about to lose myself in reminiscence, Winchester snapped at me.
"What are you doing? Hurry up."
"I'm coming, I'm coming."
Winchester led me to a secluded spot. After scanning the area to ensure we were completely alone, he delivered Linet's message.
"In three days, the meeting has been scheduled. Be prepared."
"Already?"
"The Lady is highly capable."
For some reason, Winchester looked incredibly smug. What, was this a 'if the master is capable, the servant is capable' sort of pride?
"Of course, of course. Lady Linet is the most capable of them all."
"What is with that title?"
"Is there a problem with it?"
"Sigh... Never mind. At any rate, I have delivered the message. Come to the Lady's chambers in three days."
"Loud and clear."
Winchester's lips puckered in a sullen pout as he glared at me one last time before turning on his heel.
Is he really that annoyed that I call her by her name?
Somehow... being disliked by someone always leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Well, whatever. It's not like I'll have much to do with her exclusive knight from now on anyway.
Now, I had to prepare. For my meeting with the Crown Prince.
Knowing the truth behind his assassination attempt, he would undoubtedly try to eliminate me. However, it wouldn't be so easy for him. Not when I had the backing of House Merian, House Cardelia, and House Estupina.
How should I handle the negotiations? Should I offer to cover up the incident in exchange for him quietly sending the request to break the engagement? Or should I push my luck and demand a noble title?
"..."
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I need to remember who I'm dealing with here—he is the Crown Prince.
At any rate, it would be best to stick to the original plan and bring up the annulment of the engagement.