The Princess Wants to Live (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 18
When the man whose words trailed off fell silent after placing Ambre’s entire purse on the table, the surroundings sank into stillness.
Buying and selling people with money was strictly prohibited not only by continental law but also by imperial law.
Yet human desire, passed down since antiquity, always created demand—and wherever there was demand, supply inevitably followed.
In the back alleys where it was said that nothing couldn’t be obtained with enough money, even people became mere commodities to be traded.
But it was rare indeed for someone to openly declare they wished to purchase a person—and rarer still for someone to lay down such a vast sum without question or hesitation—so for a while, soundless exchanges passed through the darkness.
How long had the silence, sharp enough to pierce skin, lasted?
“This way.”
At the rough male voice, a figure two or three times larger than an ordinary man abruptly emerged from the shadows, and the man following behind him soon frowned.
The moment he blinked his eyes open against the sudden brightness, several wooden tags bearing numbers lay conspicuously before him.
“The red ones are women, the blue ones are men. The lighter the shade, the older the age…”
Without pausing for breath, Big Guy finished his explanation and jerked his chin.
“Which one will you take?”
“This one.”
“Wait here. Don’t move around recklessly, or you might lose an arm or a leg.”
Just as Big Guy turned to leave—whether it was a warning or advice remained unclear—the man grabbed his arm.
“Just a moment.”
“Hm? If you’re changing your mind, now’s your only chance.”
The man shook his head. Though he’d smoothly purchased his sacrificial victim, he’d unexpectedly hit a wall.
“It’s not that. You mean I can’t take them away?”
“Ah, come on. It’s simple enough. Whatever you need to do, handle it right here. If you need a room, I’ll lend you one.”
The words “It’s not the room that’s the problem” nearly slipped off his tongue, but the man asked something else instead.
“What’s the reason?”
“Seriously? You’re asking something so obvious?”
Big Guy scowled irritably, but the man didn’t back down.
“Sigh… Obviously, for protection.”
Hearing Big Guy’s answer, the man was left speechless.
Seeing this, Big Guy assumed the man hadn’t understood and elaborated a little more clearly.
“People—ahem. Due to difficulties in maintaining our supply of goods, we can’t afford any damage to the merchandise we have. So to preserve the product’s stability and ensure their survival, we keep them within our line of sight.”
The empire was so stable that one could call it an age of perfect peace.
Naturally, there were almost no desperate souls willing to sell themselves, and even those sold due to debt could be counted on one hand.
Though abductions from villages remained an option, the risks were far too great—so-called “people hunters” had long since abandoned the practice.
Moreover, authorities relentlessly cracked down on the very act of buying and selling people…
If this wretched fellow before him hadn’t immediately handed over such an enormous sum of money, Big Guy would’ve kicked him out right then and there.
Given all these factors, they merely conducted business as safely as possible—but there was no need to explain all that to this customer.
“Well, as long as we can verify it ourselves, you can do whatever you like. Just don’t kill them.”
Hearing what might have been an explanation or a threat, a dark emotion surged fiercely within the man’s eyes.
To hear words like “safety” and “preserving life” from trash who trafficked human beings—wasn’t it utterly absurd?
But there was nothing he could do.
Since the seller refused to let him take the person away…
His original purpose in buying someone had been to obtain a sacrifice for the god—but how could he possibly perform the ritual with these scum openly watching?
“Never mind….”
“What? Hey! We don’t give refunds!”
Flustered, Big Guy barked out protests, but the man had no choice but to turn and walk away.
Thus, paradoxically, in the darkest and most wretched alley of the capital, not a single soul died at the hands of the serial killer who currently terrorized the capital’s outskirts.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!”
The man endlessly cursed under his breath, grinding his teeth until his mouth bled, yet he absolutely refused to give up.
If the path of buying a sacrifice with money had been blocked, then all that remained was…
He’d intended to keep laying hands on his neighbors as a very last resort.
“But now is that very last resort.”
It wasn’t out of human decency—like having grown fond of his neighbors or being unable to harm those he saw every day—that he’d avoided touching them until now.
It was purely a cold, pragmatic judgment: if he started targeting neighbors, the chances of getting caught before completing his ritual would skyrocket.
Returning home with exhausted legs dragging behind him, he didn’t head straight to his house but instead turned toward a nearby small clearing.
“Hello.”
“Huh? Bro! Long time no see!”
“Oppa! It’s Oppa! Hey, guys, Oppa’s here!”
Before long, children swarmed around the man, chattering excitedly with their own stories.
“…and then he told me to…”
“Yesterday was… so in the end…”
The man listened patiently to each child’s loud, self-centered tale with a gentle smile.
“Hey, move! I’m gonna go first!”
“No, you move! I was first!”
As a few children, worn out from shouting, started tugging at the man’s legs in a squabble, the voice of the child who’d finally spoken up—having been slow to get a word in—made the man’s eyes flash instantly.
“My mom’s been crying every night lately… saying it’s so hard without money….”
At last.
Wasn’t this exactly the story he’d been waiting for?
Desperate people would grasp at straws—or even spiderwebs descending from the darkness.
That was precisely what the man had been counting on.
After all, who wouldn’t accept a slightly strange or suspicious offer when they couldn’t see even an inch ahead?
And if someone who constantly complained about hardship suddenly disappeared one day, it wouldn’t be considered a disappearance—but an escape.
Peeling the children clinging to his legs away, the man smiled kindly.
He reached out his hand toward the child who’d spoken of his mother’s struggles—not with kindness, but with pure malice and relentless purpose.
“I’ll help you. Let’s go together.”
By the time the noon sun, once perched atop people’s heads, began tilting westward,
Olivia was facing Ambre.
“I humbly greet Your Highness. May the empire enjoy eternal glory and…”
Olivia, who had listened quietly to the lengthy greeting, interrupted.
“I instructed Marquis Taren to come to the palace.”
“Yes! Father is handling business in a place from which he cannot return within a day, so I came as the family’s representative!”
At this reply, Olivia fell silent.
Not because the answer itself was unusual—but because Lady Taren’s state was unnaturally heightened.
Her pink hair trembled delicately on her shoulders, her smile radiated pure, unguarded joy,
and her eyes shone so dazzlingly it was almost overwhelming.
Even someone utterly devoid of perceptiveness would recognize that Lady Taren standing before her adored Olivia immensely.
“Lady Taren.”
“Yes! Y-yes! Please speak!”
Hoping against hope, Olivia tried again—but received the same unnaturally fervent response.
Staring at Ambre’s sparkling eyes, Olivia felt only bewilderment.
No matter how much she searched her memory, she’d never met Ambre Taren privately—and certainly hadn’t accomplished anything that would make Lady Taren react with such starstruck zeal to every word she spoke.
But her confusion didn’t last long.
After all, it wasn’t uncommon for young noblewomen to harbor fantasies about the “imperial family.”
Especially since the current imperial house was Bolshayk.
A lineage as ancient as the continent itself—protagonists of children’s fairy tales, street plays, and legends.
No one grew up without hearing Bolshayk stories in childhood.
It wasn’t surprising, then, that someone would idolize Bolshayk after hearing those tales.
Yet Olivia’s assumption was cruelly shattered moments later.
“Every day, through Your Highness, I’m newly reminded just how truly great love is!”
Ambre’s enthusiastic shout—so fervent she nearly jumped up to cheer—made Olivia blink rapidly.
Love? Out of the blue?
Completely at a loss for words, Olivia remained silent—and Ambre, eyes sparkling, began chattering excitedly again.
“Love at first sight that transcends barriers of status…”
Ah, so that was what she meant.
Olivia listened with half-lidded eyes as Ambre passionately narrated her grand romantic epic.
Then, the moment Ambre paused briefly to catch her breath—
“Lady Taren.”
“Yes! Oh—I’m so sorry, Your Highness! I got carried away—truly, I apologize.”
Ambre, who’d been wiggling excitedly in her seat, suddenly stood and bowed deeply—but Olivia waved her hand dismissively.
“I’ve heard your insightful views on love quite clearly, but I must emphasize—unfortunately, I am not the protagonist of that love story. A tournament to prove this will be held soon.”
“Yes! …Wait, what?”
Olivia didn’t rebuke Ambre for her reflexive, almost rude reply.
She simply repeated the same words once more.
“I am not the protagonist of that love story.”
And she prepared herself to say it yet again.
After all, someone who’d spun such an elaborate romantic fantasy would hardly believe her after just a few repetitions.
But once again, Olivia’s expectation was proven wrong.
“Yes. My apologies.”
Ambre accepted Olivia’s words plainly and meekly nodded.
Now that was unexpectedly compliant…
She’d woven an epic love tale, then couldn’t restrain herself from reciting it at length right before the object of her fantasy.
One could call her pure and bright—or, less charitably, utterly lacking in perception and thought.
Still, given how readily she accepted “no” for an answer, she probably leaned more toward the former.
Olivia soon let out a soft sigh and gently traced the rim of her teacup.
It didn’t matter that the Taren family’s heir was so far from what she’d expected.
Innocence, after all, harmed no one.
After taking a sip of chamomile tea, Olivia waited patiently for Ambre to fully calm down.
When Ambre’s breathing finally settled from its earlier, strangely heightened state, Olivia cut straight to the point without any unnecessary preamble.
“I understand recent incidents in the Taren family’s trade district have caused you great distress.”
“Oh…”
Ambre drooped her head like a six-year-old scolded, her expression deflated and sullen.
Watching this expression directly, Olivia’s brow furrowed faintly.
Is this really alright, Taren?
She quickly shook her head. Other houses hadn’t even requested help—there was no need for her to meddle inappropriately.
They surely knew better than she did that their heir showed no restraint in revealing emotions.
“The branch manager was really struggling—people we relied on for work have noticeably dwindled, and even those still working have gone missing.”
Olivia didn’t miss Ambre’s words, which trailed off like a child’s whine.
Perking up her ears, she narrowed her eyes and asked,
“Gone missing?”
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
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