Alex felt like he could barely breathe under the oppressive presence of the red-haired woman and the dwarf man in front of him.
“Repeat that again?”
The red-haired woman’s voice was so menacing that Alex felt a chill run down his spine, as if an invisible knife was pressing against his skin.
‘Damn it, I should have run off with the gold after all.’
To lessen the hostility directed at him, Alex quickly mentioned the Third Prince.
“His Highness, the Third Prince, has said he wants to meet with Miss Katarina.”
At Alex’s words, Katarina burst into laughter and turned to the dwarf man beside her.
“It seems like more and more people are spewing nonsense in front of me lately. Have we been lying low for too long?”
“Hmmm…”
Despite Katarina’s question, the man seemed deep in thought, considering the possibility. It was surprising that the notorious Third Prince wanted to meet them, but first, they needed to verify if the man in front of them was trustworthy.
“What proof do you have that you are delivering a message on behalf of the Third Prince?”
“Wiz, can’t we just kill him? I’m starting to get in a bad mood.”
For a moment, Alex couldn’t respond. He only had a few gold coins left after spending most of it to find out about the incense shipment.
‘Is this how I leave the world?’
Even though he was terrified, he knew he had to speak.
“I don’t have any proof. But I do have some gold coins His Highness gave me.”
Alex could immediately sense the temperature in the room drop by at least five degrees after his reply.
“What did I tell you? Let’s just send him off cleanly.”
“Boss, let’s wait a bit. I’ve ordered my men to investigate his recent activities. Using a royal name is not something done lightly.”
Taking Wiz’s hint, Alex started speaking more.
“Exactly. If I wasn’t really sent by His Highness, would I dare use his name in this empire?”
Seeing Alex speaking incessantly, Katarina looked at him like he was a bug. She hated wasting her time.
“Kid, do you know who you’re dealing with?”
“K-Katarina, the head of the Katarina faction, right?”
“Then who are you?”
“I’m Alex, a member of the Frank faction.”
“What’s your rank?”
“Uh… think of me as the last in line.”
As Alex talked with Katarina, he felt a sense of déjà vu from his conversation with Ian. The problem was, he was sure the situation had worsened.
“Right. I want to cut off your head right now, but it’s still on your shoulders because of the word ‘Third Prince.’”
“Would I lie to you, Miss Katarina? His Highness Ian specifically told me to tell you he wants to meet.”
Even with fear in his voice, Alex spoke confidently, making Katarina frown. She wondered if the Frank faction had set this up to mock her. She should have crushed them when they were still small.
Noticing Katarina’s worsening expression, Alex decided it was time to back off. His instincts were telling him so.
“Miss Katarina, I have nothing more to say. I’ll be going now. It was an honor to meet you.”
As Alex turned to leave, he couldn’t move. The dwarf man’s chilling voice stopped him in his tracks.
“I recommend you stay put. Otherwise, you might experience having your body separated.”
Alex turned back with a forced smile, facing Katarina and the man again. Shortly after, someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
“Boss, Vice Boss! I’ve got information on this guy.”
One of their subordinates handed a paper to the dwarf man, who quickly scanned it and passed it to the red-haired woman. She glanced between the paper and Alex, speaking as she did.
“Name, Alex, age 18… 18?”
Surprised by her reaction, Alex retorted.
“Is there a problem with my age?”
“Wow… you’re really young.”
“I often get misunderstood because of my looks, but I’m one of the youngest in the Frank faction. I handle the key roles as the youngest member.”
Alex’s confident demeanor made Katarina laugh unexpectedly. There was a reason the Third Prince had sent this kid to her. Making the leader of an opposing faction laugh was a rare talent.
“You’re a funny one.”
“I make jokes sometimes. That’s why His Highness enjoys spending time with me.”
“Indeed, this paper says you’ve been seen recently with a blue-haired, ruby-eyed man, assumed to be the Third Prince, at the Rose Inn.”
“How did you find out so quickly?”
Alex was amazed at how fast the Katarina faction gathered information about him. If he had been a person of interest, they would have known as soon as he visited.
Katarina pondered for a moment before speaking to the dwarf man.
“Wiz, should we trust this guy?”
“I think we should prepare for the possibility that the Third Prince is coming.”
“I told you so.”
Seeing them believe his words, Alex began to brag. Who would dare threaten someone supported by the Third Prince, infamous as he was?
Katarina asked Alex an important question while resting her chin on her hand.
“So when did he say he would come?”
“Uh… I don’t think he mentioned that. Probably soon, I guess.”
“And why is he meeting us?”
“He didn’t say that either.”
Recalling his conversation with Ian, Alex confidently answered. He couldn’t remember if there was something specific Ian had asked him to convey.
Katarina and Wiz were momentarily speechless. The Third Prince might be a rogue, but this guy was clearly not in his right mind either.
Unable to contain her anger, Katarina glared at Alex.
“If you really don’t want to live, keep talking like that.”
Facing Katarina’s killing intent, Alex swallowed hard. His legs were trembling, but he stood firm, knowing he wouldn’t survive if he backed down now.
“His Highness, the Third Prince, is backing me. If you kill me here, you will face his wrath!”
Listening to the low-ranking member of an opposing faction threaten her, Katarina clutched her head in frustration.
“Ha, you’re really something. I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Don’t worry. Despite His Highness’s reputation, nothing will happen.”
Seeing Alex trying to reassure her, Katarina turned to her strategist, Wiz.
“Wiz, what do you think?”
“If what this guy says is true and the Third Prince is visiting, his purpose is clear. I think it’s time we consider our options.”
“Options?”
“As you know, the noble faction supporting the First Prince is using the Frank faction.”
Katarina nodded, recalling the structure Wiz had shown her before.
“We haven’t dealt with the Frank faction because they haven’t crossed into our territory or overstepped their bounds.”
“We don’t want to provoke the high-ranking nobles unnecessarily.”
“I believe the Third Prince has realized that the noble faction backing the First Prince is using the Frank faction. He wants to use us to deal with them.”
“Has the Third Prince always been that capable?”
“There are rumors in the palace that the Third Prince has changed. If that’s true, we may need to make a decision.”
Watching the two seriously discuss the future of his organization, Alex rubbed his hands together, adopting a servile expression.
“Now that my words have been proven true, can I leave? I’ve heard too much about things I shouldn’t know.”
For example, Alex hadn’t known that the noble faction was manipulating the Frank faction. Knowing less about palace power struggles was safer for survival.
History shows that those who knew too much were the first to die. Alex’s expectation of a safe return was shattered when Katarina’s small dagger grazed his neck and embedded in the wall behind him. Shocked, Alex touched his neck to ensure it was still intact.
“Why… why did you do that?”
“You might need to deliver our message, so stay put.”
At Katarina’s words, Alex slumped to the ground and nodded.
“Shouldn’t we treat him better since he’s the Third Prince’s man?”
Alex’s hopeful face brightened at Wiz’s suggestion.
“Wiz, you know the old rumors about the Third Prince. We might end up grabbing a rotten rope.”
Wiz bowed his head at Katarina’s words.
Hearing ‘rotten rope,’ Alex tried to protest but decided against it.
“Your name is Alex, right? I have one question for you.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What kind of person is the Third Prince? Was he worth risking your life to meet with the leader of an enemy faction?”
“I’m sorry.”
Katarina and Wiz were surprised by Alex’s unexpected answer.
“Sorry?”
“I can’t speak ill of His Highness, the Third Prince.”
“Why don’t you talk, and we’ll keep it a secret from him?”
“He’s someone I decided to follow as a brother. It’s not a brother’s job to speak ill of his elder.”
To Alex, the Third Prince was unique. Despite his notorious reputation, Ian had treated Alex sincerely, even though Alex was the lowest-ranking member of his organization. Ian might have been scary sometimes, but he was also the one who bought him drinks if he made him laugh.
Recently, Ian had become sharper, but Alex felt a fond attachment to him.
Seeing Alex’s steadfast loyalty, Katarina spoke with a subtle expression.
“Tell His Highness that we are waiting for him.”
“Thank you!”
As Alex left, Katarina turned to Wiz.
“What do you think?”
“Based on his answer, it’s clear the Third Prince has changed. If we can recognize this during our meeting, it might be worth placing an early bet.”
“That’s right. You have to bet early to reap big rewards later.”
“I’ll have more men keep an eye on things.”
As Wiz stepped back, Katarina rhythmically tapped her chair with her fingers, looking forward to seeing what kind of person the Third Prince had become.
***
Meanwhile, Ian, having heard from Alex, was once again sneaking out of the inner palace. He had a ‘gift’ to present to the Katarina faction.
Cliche Novel 