“It’s indeed our guild’s. Do you intend to withdraw everything?”
“Every single coin, without leaving any behind. Ah, please give me imperial gold coins from the early days of the empire.”
A suppressed fervor could be felt in Amy’s voice as she replied. The guild master looked at Amy with suspicion before silently gesturing to his subordinate. The subordinate turned and disappeared into the basement.
“……”
“……”
Perhaps feeling awkward with just the two of them left, the guild master cleared his throat with a “Ahem.” Then, while fiddling with the wooden tag, he casually struck up a conversation. It was a form of customer service.
“Seeing that the number on the wooden tag is in gold leaf, you must have deposited quite a large sum… Are you planning to leave the country?”
“Mind your own business.”
Amy shut down the guild master with a single sentence. The guild master nodded with an embarrassed expression. Amy looked around the interior with dry eyes. She was just trying to pass the time until the money arrived… But in the next moment, her eyes widened. No way, is that?
“…Oh my.”
A sound that was either admiration or a groan escaped Amy’s lips. The guild master was curious about what she was looking at, but he had already turned his head away, seemingly having lost interest. Her face was expressionless again, but her heart was pounding wildly.
‘That emblem, right? The symbol of the rebel group that started in the South…’
Amy swallowed hard and secretly glanced at the banner hanging behind the guild master. There, an eagle was embroidered, depicted as if striking like lightning. Good heavens, it really was that emblem.
‘To think that this guild had connections with the rebel group…’
Amy looked at the guild master in bewilderment.
This place is where hidden slush funds are stored for a fee. Known only to those in the know, this guild was popular for strictly keeping its clients’ secrets. And Amy had come to secretly divert the slush fund that the Crown Prince had hidden away.
‘Since I created the slush fund, there’s nothing to say if I take it.’
Even if the Crown Prince finds out later that Amy had cleaned it out, there’s not much he can do. The slush fund itself was illegal from its creation. Where could he complain? Surely not to the Emperor? If there’s even a suspicion that he was trying to build his own power base with the slush fund, he’d lose his position as Crown Prince and more.
Before her regression, dying in a cold prison, how much she had gritted her teeth at the thought of having to hand over the wealth she had painstakingly accumulated over many years to Lady Esmaine.
But,
‘Now it will become the settlement fund for the Second Prince in the North.’
Isn’t that better than being used for the extravagance of the ungrateful Crown Prince and Lady Esmaine?
Amy, who had been smiling contentedly, came to her senses again and glanced at the banner.
‘This isn’t important right now.’
She quickly rummaged through her memories. This was a great opportunity given by heaven. And Amy was never one to miss an opportunity right in front of her.
‘Come to think of it, by now…’
After organizing her thoughts to some extent, she casually broached the subject.
“I have something I’d like to ask.”
The guild master, who had been idly wiggling his fingers, raised his head.
“What is it?”
“How are things in the South these days?”
“……”
Perhaps the question was too broad, as the guild master’s mouth did not open easily. Amy nervously bit her lip. Given that this guild was connected to the instigators of the rebellion that started in the South, she couldn’t ask in detail.
‘What if they suspect how I know and imprison or torture me?’
She felt as if her ankle, which had been injured by Lady Esmaine, was throbbing even more. Amy made a firm resolve inwardly. Never, ever would she go through such a thing again.
The motto for her second chance at life was to live safely and comfortably, to eat well and live well.
The guild master spoke with a lukewarm expression.
“The South, well… It’s the same as always, isn’t it? Working hard on farming, being looked down upon by the capital folks…”
The words that came out after long deliberation were all bone and no meat. Inwardly grumbling that she could say as much herself, Amy was about to speak when the subordinate returned with a small pouch.
The guild master first checked the contents of the pouch. Then he placed it on the table and pushed it towards Amy.
“Please check if the amount is correct.”
“……”
She quickly scanned the contents of the pouch. It seemed about right. The gold coins from the early days of the empire were of such high value that even a few were worth an enormous amount. Amy was contentedly pocketing the pouch when a thought suddenly occurred to her.
“What is it?”
Seeing Amy suddenly stop moving, the guild master and guild member tilted their heads. Amy looked up and said,
“I need to open an account. I’ll deposit the gold coins.”
“As you wish.”
“It won’t be in my name, is that okay?”
“No problem.”
“The owner of that account will be someone who meets the conditions I specify.”
“…So there’s no need to verify with you whether it’s the right person or not?”
The guild master’s eyebrow raised slightly. It was not uncommon for nobles to create accounts under different names to avoid paying taxes to the country when leaving inheritances. But in those cases, the beneficiary was always clearly specified, to prevent others from taking it.
But the suspicious woman in front of him was now opening a transaction completely for someone else, and under conditions where someone other than the intended recipient might benefit. This was a first, and it was intriguing.
“What are the conditions?”
At the guild master’s question, Amy replied nonchalantly.
“Currently 23 years old, male, and blue blood of the bluest blood.”
“!”
The guild master’s expression changed. The bluest of blue blood referred to royalty. Amy pretended not to notice and added,
“And… someone related to the number of gold coins like this.”
Amy took out one of the early imperial gold coins from the pouch and tossed it. The guild master caught it reflexively. That gold coin was worth 1000 of the currently circulating gold coins.
‘Someone related to the number 1000?’
He couldn’t quite grasp it. At that moment, Amy exclaimed “Oh!” and took something out of the hidden pocket attached to her skirt and tossed it again. When he caught it, this time it was a regular gold coin.
“It’s 1001 in total. Remember that.”
Amy said boastfully. The guild master was perplexed, but nodded without showing it. However, Amy keenly noticed his demeanor.
‘They’re connected to the rebel group, but don’t really know about him.’
This was rather fortunate. Later, when he comes and sees the funds prepared for him, he’ll be more curious about her than the guild master.
“And… can I borrow a quill pen?”
After requesting to put a brief note in the safe along with the money, she stood up. Then, satisfied with the unexpected results, she left the place. The guild master and guild member looked at each other’s faces, feeling as if a storm had just passed through.
After leaving the guild’s pub, Amy twisted and turned through the complex paths of the market to avoid any possible tracking. After some time had passed,
‘There’s no tail.’
Only after she was certain did she finally turn towards the place she had promised to meet the Second Prince.
People from all over the empire flocked to the capital’s market. This also meant that all kinds of rumors were circulating. Amy listened to countless stories as she walked. As always, most were garbage rumors. Among them, someone’s words struck her ears.
“They say a rebellion has broken out in some southern province.”
“!”
Her footsteps slowed. People continued to whisper.
“I heard that too. They say they’ve already crossed the Ren River?”
“Then they’re not far from the capital, right? I thought it would be suppressed quickly, but they’re holding out better than expected?”
Amy quickened her pace again, engraving in her mind the words that the rebel group had crossed the Ren River.
‘The First Prince is quite capable.’
She inwardly clicked her tongue. The First Prince Amy was thinking of now was not that hateful Crown Prince. It was the hidden son of the Emperor’s first empress, born earlier than the current Crown Prince, and the owner of the funds she had entrusted to the guild.
She learned about him in her previous life, when she was kidnapped by Lady Esmaine and was starving to death in prison.
The talkative guard would tell all sorts of stories to Amy, whose tongue had been cut out and couldn’t speak. That day, it was news that had stirred up the capital,
Believe it or not, the story was that the real Crown Prince had appeared.
It was an incredibly surprising story, but Amy, without even the strength to react, just lay there blinking her eyes. The guard, as always, chattered on incessantly. Thanks to that, the facts she learned were as follows:
All the unrest in the South was his doing, and to pacify the greatly expanded rebel forces, the Emperor had decided to depose the current Crown Prince and elevate him as the new Crown Prince.
They say there was no choice but to do so, as continuing to clash with him would risk splitting the empire in two. Apparently, the hearts of the people in the South and even the Central regions were all following him?
Hearing this, Amy twisted her cracked, parched lips in a smile for the first time in years. She couldn’t help but feel delighted at the predicament of Lady Esmaine, who had become like a dog chasing chickens.
As she trudged through the market streets, Amy was lost in deep thought.
‘Before, he became Crown Prince almost three years after first revealing his existence…’
Her eyes sparkled.
‘What problem could there be if it happens a little earlier? The position of Crown Prince belongs to him anyway.’
Amy was planning to lend a hand to him discreetly, completing her revenge against the current Crown Prince. Along with that, she could also solidify the Second Prince’s position.
She grinned. How could she not be pleased when she could kill two birds with one stone?
__________
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.