Please Die, Your Highness - Chapter 95

The thug, appearing truly aggrieved, did not stop repeating that he had only intended to shake them down for a little pocket change in advance. His mother, unable to watch any longer, slapped her son on the back, and the interior of the house was enveloped in a somewhat awkward silence.

Maeve stood her ground. She gazed steadily at Prince Declan as if to say, ‘See?’ Prince Declan had no composure left to react to Maeve’s provocation. He was looking at the thug with eyes filled with shock.

By this point, the thug’s mother fell silent, unsure whether she should continue to confront the woman who had snapped her son’s arm or not. She stared into the empty air and muttered something with a face full of disillusionment.

Maeve read this keenly. A face that was ashamed of her son’s disgraceful behavior, yet at the same time, tinged with a self-scornful smile. It was the appearance of someone who lacked the brazenness typical of people plotting such rough deeds.

The thug was about to open his mouth again to say something unnecessary. The mother harshly slapped the back of her son, whose arm was broken.

At that moment, the door opened and someone entered.

“What is all this commotion?”

It was that man from before. That is to say, the man who had come running out in a flurry to present his stall the moment Maeve and Prince Declan entered the village, as if he had been waiting. He was the person who had readily given Maeve the dried hay.

“Are you the boss that fellow mentioned?”

Maeve asked the man in question with an expressionless face. Without answering, the man looked alternately at Maeve, Prince Declan, the thug, and his mother. A total of four people.

Without the man needing to open his mouth, the thug stepped forward, pointing his finger at Maeve and beginning to tattle. He snitched quite honestly, saying he had merely tried to shake her down, but that woman had suddenly broken his arm before he could even do so.

Maeve, still showing no sign of apology, looked at the man called the village boss and spoke. She stated confidently that she already knew the rumors about this village, and thinking her companion had disappeared because they had already committed a deed, she had acted only to find him.

Prince Declan was of no help. He made a comment that left it unclear whose side he was on, saying Maeve had even suspected the children, and then returned the iron mallet he had been awkwardly holding to the man.

The thug’s mother just sat still and stared at the man. Her gaze was tinged with a certain indefinable resentment.

“First of all, there is something you are misunderstanding.”

After hearing all of this, the boss spoke in a suddenly refined tone.

“Of course, it is true that we…… have had some unpleasant incidents with several visitors in the past.”

“Just say it, Billy. The rumors have spread all the way to other regions. This business has reached its limit now, too.”

At the words of the thug’s mother, who had been quiet the whole time, the face of Boss Billy stiffened visibly.

He rolled his eyes as if calculating. However, it was only for a moment; after seeing the face of the thug, whose eyes were swollen from crying, he opened his mouth as if resigned.

“Fine. We did. We extorted a few items from several guests through subtle threats and sent them back. But so what? In this place, that is a toll. Did you mean to say you intended to sleep and get water for free in a place like this?”

He was so confident that it felt like an outburst of pent-up anger. Looking at Billy’s face, it indeed seemed he was filled with resentment.

Maeve, finding it absurd, tilted her head to the side.

“Subtle threats? Is tearing the party members apart one by one and extorting money your way of collecting a toll?”

Prince Declan turned back to Maeve with a pale face at her words. Maeve was still suspicious of those children.

However, before Prince Declan could ruin the moment again, Maeve acted first and said, “Be quiet, Decky.”

The boss, Billy, shot back while looking between Maeve and Prince Declan.

“Fine. That is the way we collect tolls. And in the first place, we had no intention of shaking you two down! We pick and choose our targets too. You two look like you have nothing to anyone! We haven’t crossed the line that far. If we had intended to do that from the start, do you think I would have handed over the hay so submissively?”