“Going to Château Hujakryeong?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I am a merchant supplying grains. I was planning to head to Hujakryeong for a trade with Viscount Chalé.”

Dylan, with a visibly tense expression, pulled out the documents he had prepared in advance from his pocket. It was a trade contract stamped with Viscount Chalé’s seal. The document listed the items and quantities loaded in the cargo hold.

Of course, these documents were merely a disguise. There were separate items for the real trade with Viscount Chalé.

Kairon, casually scanning the contents of the documents, looked down at Dylan. The direct gaze from the Duke was incredibly imposing. Dylan, taking a deep breath and carefully adjusting his expression, asked cautiously, “Is there a problem with going to Château Hujakryeong?”

“Château Hujakryeong coveted something that should never be coveted.”

The voice was so low and chilly that it felt eerie. Dylan’s body twitched at the Duke’s response.

Something that should never be coveted… Could it possibly refer to the Duke’s consort?

Dylan’s back became damp with sweat due to the overwhelming tension.

“I may not know what it is, but there is no issue with the goods loaded on our ship. We have already passed the inspection by the maritime security.”

Anxious, Dylan tried to talk his way out of the situation. When Dylan sent a glance that seemed to question the Chief of Security, the Chief, with a troubled expression, continued, “Apologies, but as the author stated, the inspection of the ship was completed before your arrival. Nothing unusual was found.”

“Are you sure?”

Gregory, standing next to the Duke, questioned with a stern face. The security officer who had conducted the inspection replied instead.

“We carefully checked every item in the cargo hold, pulling them out one by one and inspecting the inside.”

A visible change in Dylan’s expression, unable to hide his unease, was noticed by everyone.

On the other hand, Kairon, who was observing Dylan’s facial expressions, became even more sharp-eyed. He opened his mouth in a low voice.

“I will confirm with my own eyes.”

“My Lord!”

As Kairon moved towards the cabin, everyone followed in confusion. Dylan, startled by the sudden turn of events, also followed the Duke’s footsteps.

“The cargo hold is this way. Follow me…”

“That’s enough.”

Interrupting Dylan’s attempt to guide the Duke to the cargo hold, Kairon moved in the opposite direction.

If nothing unusual had been found in the cargo hold that had already been searched, it was necessary to inspect other spaces more closely.

Moreover, the merchant seemed suspicious. Despite his efforts to conceal it, there were subtle changes in his expression and gaze. There was an intuition that the author was hiding something.

‘If that’s the case…’

He will avoid guiding me to places I should not go.

Therefore, the cargo hold that the author was actively trying to guide was excluded.

Kairon surveyed the spaces inside the ship while also paying attention to the merchant’s facial expressions. To find out where the author most wanted to avoid.

After inspecting the ship, the only place left was the space under the ship’s floor. When Kairon’s steps headed towards the stairs leading down, Dylan hastily tried to stop him.

“Th-this is the staircase leading to the engine room. It’s messy because various devices are installed. I wonder if it would be inconvenient for you to inspect it personally…”

Although Dylan expressed concern about the humble space, Kairon coldly sneered while looking at the nervous glint in Dylan’s eyes and the muscle tension flowing along his jawline.

“Step aside.”

“…Yes. Be cautious as the lighting is dim.”

In response to Kairon’s decisive words, Dylan finally stepped aside. Watching the Duke’s back as he descended the stairs, Dylan swallowed dry saliva, his face showing signs of anxiety.
“Even if you go to the engine room, you won’t notice the secret chamber.”

Dylan reassured himself, saying it would be fine. However, the impatient gaze did not leave him as he entered the engine room, accompanying the Duke.

Since the ship was not in operation, the area around the engine room was quiet. As Kairon opened the door to the engine room and stepped into the dim space,

“…!”

All of his movements froze.

“My Lord, are you okay?”

Gregory, who had followed him and stopped near the engine room door, where Kairon stood motionless as if frozen, called out to him.

“A scent…”

“Yes? A scent?”

At Gregory’s puzzled response to Kairon’s words, muttered as if unbelievable, Kairon changed his expression completely and strode decisively into the interior of the engine room.

Then his heart began to pound even faster. Every cell in his body seemed to tremble as if wriggling. The sensation was like the entire nervous system was burning, growing hotter and hotter.

There was only one thing in the world that could put him in such a state.

‘The scent of Idel…!’