What should she call this emotion now? The edge of her heart was strangely ticklish.

She couldn’t take her eyes off the lines in the letter that said he missed her.

“Sigh…….”

Velia took a deep breath.

She felt breathless, filled with indescribable emotions.

“Khaled.”

Where could he be now?

Has he arrived at the Duchy of Tesa?

Was the journey hard?

…Is he truly sincere?

Numerous questions swirled in Velia’s mind.

She was filled with thoughts about Khaled.

“…I miss him too.”

Unknowingly, her hidden feelings slipped out. She missed him so much just after a few days.

How many days has it been since they were together?

The days without him by her side were much longer, so she should be more used to it now, but strangely, she couldn’t remember the times when Khaled wasn’t there.

Especially today, which was particularly tiring, she wished he could hug her tightly.

(This is a time separator.)

Derek sighed a laugh as he read the report brought by the special agent.

‘Is this really true….’

And he leaned his chin on his arms, propped on the desk.

How could all of this be true?

“When will they arrive?”

“……They should arrive in two days.”

“And the pursuers?”

“They’ve all been taken care of.”

Derek nodded.

The location of the relic that Princess Velia had informed them of was a very secretly hidden place. The agents had only a slim chance of entering the inner chamber to verify the existence of the relic, so the risk of blowing the opportunity was too high.

‘This was almost like gambling this time….’

There was only one chance to verify the location where they had been told the relic was.

The room was sealed with multiple magical devices, making it impossible to hide any trace of intrusion.

Had Velia’s information turned out to be false, the mission itself could have been a complete failure. In that case, they would have certainly moved the relic elsewhere.

‘It will be even harder to find it afterward.’
After much deliberation, they decided to proceed with retrieving the relic while escorting the priests of the new nation who had requested their services. The relic was not something anyone could casually handle, so the decision was unavoidable.

The clients were skeptical, but they had received a report that a relic stored at that location had been discovered and successfully retrieved.

“Is the investigation on the Second Prince somewhat concluded?”

“……There are suspicious circumstances. Please give us a little more time.”

“Suspicious circumstances?”

“Yes. There are several unclear matters. The investigation is in its final stages, so we will sort it out soon.”

Derrick exhaled deeply.

A matter even their topclass intelligence couldn’t grasp.

‘Interesting.’

They had to deliver the information requested by Princess Velia according to the contract as long as the clients and the relic arrived safely.

They already had plenty of information about Prince Khaled internally, but they discovered quite a few new facts while updating and organizing the information this time.

‘……What a strange relationship.’

Of course, it was about Khaled and Velia.

Derrick recalled the conversation he had had with Khaled before.

‘If Velia ever asks about me, feel free to tell her everything, down to the smallest details.’

The voice of the Second Prince, who had sounded quite pleased, swept past. He seemed very eager, as if he really expected Princess Velia to inquire about him. He then added,

‘Ah, right. If the information gathered by the guild is insufficient, come find me. I’ll tell you myself.’

Derrick had felt deeply humiliated by the implication that they wouldn’t be able to find out everything.

The capabilities of the information guild Luness were acknowledged across the continent. And yet, to come find them if the information was lacking?

‘Ha…….’

Even thinking about it now, he didn’t like the man.

Frowning irritably, Derrick asked about the investigation he had personally ordered before.

“Is the investigation on Princess Velia concluded?”

“……I apologize.”

Derrick sharply stared at the investigator standing in front of him.

“Don’t tell me you found out nothing?”

“What I reported before is all there is. There was nothing special about Princess Velia.”

“So, how do you think a princess, who was quietly reading books in her castle, suddenly became aware of secretive events occurring all over the continent?”

“……I apologize.”

Derrick roughly ruffled his hair.

“Keep observing Princess Velia going forward. Elevate her observation level to topclass.”

“Yes.”

For some reason, this damned curiosity kept urging them to dig deeper into them.

“Hmm…….”

He had confirmed it when he had met them. They were undoubtedly sincere. It was not a marriage of convenience or one forced upon them. Yet, the unease they felt for each other was palpable. That’s why he thought it was a bit odd.

“For now, do your utmost to find out what you can. Also, report again on Prince Khaled. We must always repay our clients with trust.”

If they kept watching, something would surface.

Derrick lifted the corners of his mouth, forming an enigmatic smile.