When the man, who seemed to be the leader of the thugs, called him “Boss,” Ian felt as if the puzzle pieces in his mind were fitting together. Meanwhile, the thug who had inadvertently removed Ian’s hood began to tremble.
‘Is it A?’
“Hmm…”
As Ian stared intently at the thug leader, the man immediately knelt down.
“B-Boss…! I apologize. I didn’t recognize you since you came in differently than usual.”
“I don’t even know your name, though.”
Ian’s joke made Alex feel a sudden fear of death. One of the notorious hobbies of the Third Prince was pretending not to know the names of people he was familiar with, which usually meant that the name would soon cease to exist.
“Boss, it’s me, Alex! The one who smoked incense with you and came in and out of the inner palace. Do you really not remember me?”
“Nope, I don’t recall at all.”
Despite Alex’s desperate tone, Ian smiled and answered nonchalantly, causing Alex to speak with a tearful voice.
“Boss, I’m the ‘A’ who sent that letter. Didn’t you come because of that letter?”
Seeing Ian’s interest in the content of the letter, Alex spoke in a hurried voice.
“I have an incense stick that I really wanted to show you, Boss. Would you like to come and see it?”
Patting Alex on the shoulder as he looked at him with desperate eyes, Ian said.
“Alex, how about we talk alone?”
Leaving his subordinates outside and being alone in the room with Ian, Alex’s anxiety reached its peak.
“B-Boss?”
Perhaps due to the darkness, Alex thought Ian’s ruby eyes looked blood-red.
“Hmm.”
As Ian’s low sigh echoed, Alex swallowed nervously.
“Alex, if you call me Boss, it means we’re close enough to be like brothers, right?”
Nodding eagerly as if his life depended on it, Alex replied.
“Yes, Boss. You were always so generous and friendly with us.”
“Why?”
Ian’s soft question made Alex feel momentarily indignant. Would it make sense for him to call a prince “Boss” on his own? Hadn’t the man in front of him ordered him to do so? The same prince who threatened to behead him?
However, Alex didn’t have the courage to voice these thoughts in front of Ian.
“That… well…”
At Alex’s hesitant answer, Ian held back a laugh and asked.
“What’s my title?”
“The Great Third Prince of the Helios Empire, Your Highness.”
Alex emphasized the word “great” more than anyone.
“And you are?”
“I’m Alex.”
It seemed the man in front of him had a knack for getting himself into trouble. If he were a real brother, he would have received a backhanded slap immediately.
Seeing Ian frown, Alex quickly added.
“I… I’m just a thug?”
“So, do you think it makes sense for a prince and a thug to be like brothers?”
Alex’s logical question almost made Alex reply with “It’s possible since you’re a rogue,” but he held his tongue. He survived in the organization thanks to his quick wit.
However, he couldn’t match Ian’s skill in reading people. Smiling, Ian put a hand on Alex’s shoulder.
“Why? Do you think the Third Prince, known as a rogue, can be like brothers with you?”
Feeling as if Ian could read his mind, Alex got goosebumps. It was a warning sign. There was only one way to deal with this.
Flatten yourself.
“Oh, Your Highness, please forgive me just once. I am just a street thug who never learned proper manners.”
“You’re quick-witted. But I still want to be like brothers with you, if you achieve enough merit.”
“R-Really?”
“Do you want to call me Boss?”
“If I could have that honor, it would be a blessing for generations!”
“Then there’s a way.”
Alex’s ears perked up unintentionally at Ian’s words. He didn’t want to lose the respect he gained by calling the Third Prince his boss.
“Do you know what principle our empire values the most?”
“That following the Third Prince’s words is the path and the light.”
Ian felt a bit embarrassed by Alex’s blatant flattery but continued.
“Have you heard of the principle of meritocracy?”
Alex tilted his head for a moment before answering.
“Isn’t it the principle of giving extra cake to those who do well and whipping those who don’t?”
“That’s right. So, if you achieve tremendous merit, I can give you a reward equal to that.”
“Boss, Your Highness, I wouldn’t mind even the whip if it’s from you.”
With a salesperson’s smile, Alex spoke to Ian. Ian thought he might be a useful guy, given his attitude in a situation where a single word could get him beheaded.
“Then there’s one thing you need to do for me.”
“Just say the word.”
“Will you return the money I gave you?”
At Ian’s polite threat, Alex raised his voice in disbelief.
“What do you mean?”
Even in that moment, Alex wondered if he would become famous among street thugs for being shaken down by a prince. No one else in the capital would have such a story.
“Haven’t you stashed away the money from the incense I bought over time?”
“Your Highness? I just watched you enjoy it; I didn’t stash any money.”
Even though Alex had the chance, he hadn’t taken the money, so Ian decided to let it go for now. Alex seemed to have a more innocent side than he initially thought.
As Ian continued to stare at him, Alex quickly changed the subject, fearing he might lose his emergency funds.
“Your Highness, would you like to see the incense you were supposed to receive today? The executives said it’s really amazing.”
“Well, I’ll look into your pockets later. Bring the incense.”
At Ian’s command, Alex had one of his subordinates fetch the item wrapped in a high-quality package from outside.
“Your Highness, this one will give a much longer euphoric time and an immense feeling of pleasure compared to the previous one. Even the scent from the package is amazing.”
Ian, who had never tried incense, smelled something sweet but didn’t feel any particular attraction.
“Is this really that effective?”
“Your Highness, why do you keep testing me? Aren’t you the most knowledgeable about incense?”
What kind of life had the original Ian lived before the age of fifteen? Ian, having no knowledge about incense, felt frustrated but decided to gather as much information as possible.
“What’s the name of this new incense?”
“It’s called Sweet Heaven.”
“Did you make it?”
At Ian’s question, Alex waved his hands.
“Boss, no, Your Highness, I’m just a delivery guy.”
At the word “delivery guy,” Ian frowned.
“A delivery guy dares to call me brother?”
“Well…”
Alex couldn’t say that no one else wanted to be around the prince, so he, as the lowest-ranking member, had no choice but to volunteer.
“Never mind that. Who makes it?”
When Alex hesitated to answer, Ian threw a warning punch.
“Don’t you realize your neck is on the line?”
Alex quickly gathered his thoughts and shared what he knew.
“These incenses are made by the Frank faction.”
While the emperor sometimes used the Katarina faction to check Duke Blake, Ian had never heard of the Frank faction.
“Frank faction?”
“One of the forces dividing the backstreets of the imperial capital.”
“And the other one is the Katarina faction?”
“Yes. The Katarina faction used to be the king of the backstreets. But the Frank faction grew just as large by selling incense well. I overheard that nobles support them, so the Katarina faction can’t touch them. They’re even friendly with the guards.”
Through his conversation with Alex, Ian learned a few things: someone was allowing the incense to be supplied to the inner palace, and the ‘Rose Inn’ and Baron Steel were likely connected to the Blake family.
Seeing Ian silent, Alex stopped talking. He felt that saying more might get him into trouble.
“You have a good sense.”
“Hehe, I get that a lot. That’s why my subordinates consider me their lifeline.”
Every time Ian saw Alex’s cheeky face, he felt an urge to smack him, but he decided to extract more information first.
“So, which faction are you from?”
“Um, I’m a low-ranking member of the Frank faction. No one else wanted to volunteer to follow you, so I had to…”
Realizing he had accidentally voiced his thoughts, Alex covered his mouth with his hands.
“Alex, I’ll give you two choices.”
Sweating, Alex felt he was about to hear something dreadful.
“Do you want to die here or do what I ask and live for a while?”
Alex, on the verge of tears, replied.
“But won’t I die either way?”
“No, if I still have tasks for you, you’ll live until then.”
“Can I choose the second option?”
“I’ll respect your choice.”
Alex sighed in relief, feeling he had saved his life.
“Alex.”
“!”
Ian smiled as Alex responded sharply.
“Find out the schedule for the incense coming into the inner palace.”
“How would I, a low-ranking member, know that?”
“If it were easy, I’d have found out myself.”
Ian’s words made Alex feel suffocated, but he couldn’t voice his dissatisfaction to a prince.
Cliche Novel 