How the Sidekick Prince Lives Again Chapter 29

“……I'll think about it for now.”

After a moment of silence, Khalid replied that he would hold off making a decision. Renato's proposal was appealing to anyone who heard it. If he accepted, he would have to step into the Empire's politics in earnest, but he was not afraid.

As an undefeatable knight, Khalid was confident that he would triumph against anyone he faced. The only reason he hesitated was because of his reluctance to marry.

If this had been a normal deal, Khalid would have accepted it right away. However, the problem was that it was a contract premised on marriage. That caused Khalid to hesitate.

“It's important, so you probably need some time to think about it.”

Renato withdrew and didn't urge him to answer. Having already been rejected once, he had to be careful. He decided to be content with a postponement and not a refusal.

“But I would appreciate it if you give me an answer before it's too late.”

“It won't take long. ……May I ask you one last question?”

“Please ask.”

“This marriage is absolutely a loss to you, Your Imperial Highness. It's like a contract that a merchant would never make.”

After a moment of silence to ponder over his words, Khalid spoke in a cautious tone. Renato's proposed marriage contract was absolutely a loss to him, while only Khalid would benefit.

Moreover, it was a contract for a third party, not himself. Even if three years passed safely after marrying Khalid, Renato had nothing to gain and would only lose. That was also the reason why Khalid couldn't understand.

“I have yet to meet His Imperial Highness the 2nd Prince, is he worthy of your sacrifice?”

“Of course.”

Renato answered without hesitation. A faint smile appeared on his face when he thought about his precious half-brother.

“Her Highness the deceased Imperial Consort and the 2nd Prince are my 'real family'. They accepted me into their family. I was able to exist as Renato, not as a useless Beta Prince in front of them.”

Real family. At those words, Khalid breathed in. When talking about the Imperial Consort and the 2nd Prince, Renato had the happiest face he had ever seen. Renato sincerely thought of them as family and cherished them.

“So this is not a sacrifice. It's just something I of course have to do to protect my family. Does this answer your question?”

Looking into the pale purple eyes filled with affection for the ones dear to him, Khalid quietly nodded. Strangely, his neck became stiff. Renato's appearance right now reminded him of Jamila and Maryam of the old days.

“The talk was long. I'll be returning now.”

After looking out the window, Renato slowly stood up. The sky from the window was turning red before they could realize that. Taking off his cardigan, Renato clumsily folded the clothes and placed them on the sofa.

“Then I look forward to hearing a good answer.”

“I'll see you off……”

“There is no need to. I'm sure you are having a lot to think about, so please don't worry about seeing off. Farewell, your highness.”

Renato refused Khalid's offer to see him off and slightly nodded his head as a greeting before leaving the drawing room. Looking at the slender back that disappeared through the open door, Khalid let out a sigh.

“This is hard……”

Khalid swept his face with his large hands, then leaned back on the sofa. He was lost in thought for a long time until the sunset disappeared and nighttime came.

“Please help me!”

Marquis Medus looked at the man lying down in front of him with indifferent eyes. The one abandoning a noble's pride and lying on the floor was Count Shiv, an officer in the military personnel staff.

“My only daughter is dying! All the doctors just shook their heads…… All I have left is you, my lord!”

“Ho, this person. If it's a disease that many doctors have not been able to cure, I won't be any different.”

“How could you say that……?! You are different from every other doctor, my lord! Aren't you the head of the palace doctors' office and the doctor given by the Fairy King?”

“It's just a title that people call however they want.”

Marquis Medus waved his hand as if embarrassed. Anxious by his reaction, Count Shiv hurriedly spoke.

“I, I heard that you have recently created a remedy comparable to Fairy's Tears, my lord. S, Snake's Breath, which has cured Countess Reina……”

“Where did you hear that rumor?”

With Count Shiv's words, the air around Marquis Medus drastically changed. Snake's Breath was a medicine distributed to very few people. Erasing the smile from his lips, he looked at the Count with a sharp gaze.

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“Count Reina is my cousin brother. When he heard about my daughter, he felt sorry and gave me a little bit of a hint.”

“Ho, Count Reina, this person. I already told him not to tell anyone like that.”

Marquis Medus stroked his beard and clicked his tongue. Feeling urgent because of his action, Count Shiv approached the Marquis almost crawling.

“Please, sir. I'll give you as much money as you want! Please save my daughter!”

“Even if you say so…… I don't have any medicine right now.”

“Pardon?”

“Snake's Breath is a medicine I accidentally created while doing other research. So it's not easy to get the ingredients. The quantity that can be made at a time is small, and there are many cases when I fail during making it.”

“T, then.”

Count Shiv's face was filled with despair when he heard the words close to rejection. Should I pull him in at this point? The purple eyes with a reddish tint grimly glistened.

“I have the ingredients, but…… hmm, it's not difficult to make, but there's no guarantee that my remedy will work for your daughter. I don't want to hear any words of resentment.”

“It's okay even if it doesn't work! No matter what the result is, I will never resent you, so please just make it. As a parent, shouldn't I at least try something?”

Count Shiv appealed in an earnest voice. Marquis Medus was thrilled to see the Count clinging to him. He was usually disdained for being a Beta, so it was funny to see someone acting as if willing to give away all of his liver and gallbladder like this moment. Then he nodded, suppressing the corners of his mouth that almost went up.

“All right. Then I'll make it. It will take about two days.”

“……T, thank you very much! I will pay for the treatment without regret.”

“Is it okay if it's not money?”

Marquis Medus moved his tongue like a snake. The corners of his eyes cunningly curled up.

“I don't need money. I already have a lot.”

Human life is expensive. Over the past few decades, Marquis Medus had made full use of his ability, turning his family into one of the wealthiest families in the Empire. After using Renato's blood to create Snake's Breath, things worked out better.

There were many people ready to give everything to their loved ones, and the Marquis got a lot in return for helping them. He was now almost in control of the noble faction. But that was not enough to surpass the Emperor.

“Then what would you want……”

“What I want is military information.”

Count Shiv was a staff officer responsible for personnel affairs in the military. Marquis Medus intended to make a connection with the military's people and to steal personnel information through him.

“What do you think, can you bring me information from inside the military?”

“Ah, I.”

The Count could not answer easily. Leaking information within the military was a matter that could result in death.

“If you can't, just don't. Because I have nothing to regret.”

“Please wait! Please give me some time to think……”

“No. Choose right now.”

Marquis Medus lowered his voice to pressure Count Shiv. In the end, the Count had no choice but to nod his head. The first priority was to save his daughter's life.

“Good. Then our deal is complete. Let's sign a contract.”

Having obtained what he wanted, the Marquis smiled wickedly. He had already figured out which rare disease Count Shiv's daughter was suffering from. It might have been different with Fairy's Tears, but Snake's Breath wouldn't be able to heal her at once.

Eventually, Count Shiv would be his faithful dog until his daughter completely recovered. Marquis Medus intended to heal the Count's daughter very slowly.

And after his daughter was cured, the Count would already be deeply involved. With that, he wouldn't be able to easily get away unless he wanted to be arrested for leaking confidential information. It was a perfect trap.

“Don't let anyone come near me until I finish the medicine.”

After seeing Count Shiv off, the Marquis immediately started creating the medicine. He took a small glass bottle out of the double-locked safe. It was blood drawn from Renato a few days ago.

Originally, he could make about five bottles of Snake's Breath with this, but this time, he decided to make only three bottles. It was because he intended to use the rest for other studies.

“Should I have drawn some more?”

Marquis Medus clicked his tongue with a regretful face. It was difficult for him to draw a lot of blood at once, since all those going to and from the Imperial Palace had to undergo a body search except for the imperial family members.

Chapter end