“You’re up early.”

“Did you rest well?”

After exchanging greetings, Amy and Melvin sat down side by side and continued their meal in silence. Having finished her porridge first, Amy asked him, “Have there been any recent attacks from the Northern Mountains?”

“No, not recently,” Melvin replied, somewhat surprised. The Northern Mountains were inhabited by barbarian tribes who occasionally invaded the Duke’s lands without reason. While there were no casualties, it was still a matter of concern for the border, and Melvin had repeatedly requested support from the royal court.

However, not only did the court ignore the requests, but they also stopped mentioning it altogether at some point.

‘How did the stewardess know about this?’ Melvin wondered, unaware that Amy had exaggerated the fact to help Noah become the Grand Duke. Amy nodded as if she knew and then stood up.

“As we discussed yesterday, I would like a tour. I’ll be in the outer castle, come find me there.”

“Understood.”

Amy gracefully left the hall amidst the greetings of the people, with admiring glances following her. However, she was lost in deep thought, walking briskly.

Outside in the outer castle, Vernon, who had finished his breakfast early and was waiting, approached her.

“Are you going to tour the castle?”

“Yes.”

Vernon looked puzzled. Amy, ensuring no one was listening, spoke in a low voice, “There’s something we need to find in the dungeons of the Grand Duke’s castle. It’s top secret, so we’ll move quietly.”

“Understood.”

Recognizing it as a special mission, Vernon’s eyes sharpened. As they waited for the butler, they exchanged their impressions of arriving at the Grand Duke’s castle. Vernon, stretching his neck tiredly, commented, “Some habits never die… Haah.”

Amy quickly realized that Vernon’s troublemaker was Dwayne and frowned.

“What now?”

“Well, it’s just that…”

As Vernon started to complain, a litany of grievances poured out. Dwayne, with his flashy appearance, had already made nearly ten appointments with village maidens and the maids of the Grand Duke’s castle. Vernon had advised him to be cautious until he adjusted to the new place, but Dwayne didn’t listen, which was causing Vernon concern.

Amy sighed.

“Do we need to prepare for a romantic scandal?”

“That’s the strange thing, there hasn’t been any such incident.”
As soon as the stage was set, a stream of complaints erupted. It was about the flamboyant Dwayne already making appointments to meet with village maidens, along with the maids of the Grand Duke’s castle. The number was close to ten. The captain had advised him to be cautious until he adapted to the new place, but Dwayne just wouldn’t listen, making it a matter of concern.

Amy let out a groan.

“Do we need to prepare for any romantic incidents?”

“That’s the strange thing, there hasn’t been any such incident,” replied Captain Vernon, his jaw jutting out in frustration. Not just that, his lips were pouting too. Look at this? Amy narrowed her eyes.

‘Is he jealous right now?’

Amy decided to feign ignorance and replied nonchalantly.

“People like Captain Vernon, who are faithful, must find it inconvenient.”

“Oh, that, yes, of course.”

The captain flustered about awkwardly. Amy clicked her tongue inside her mouth and then turned towards the approaching butler.

“Shall we go now?”

The butler looked back and forth between the two and asked,

“Where would you like to visit?”

Amy, heading towards the stairs inside the outer castle, said,

“The underground dungeon.”

“Excuse me?”

Both men were taken aback. The butler hastily spoke up.

“No, why there… It’s still under repair and dangerous.”

Captain Vernon grimaced and asked the butler.

“Are there any prisoners?”

“Currently, no.”

“Well, that’s good then, since there are no people,” Amy said, not halting her stride.

“…”

Realizing that Amy had made up her mind, the two exchanged glances and silently followed her. The butler, sounding tense, indicated,

“We need to go down these stairs.”

They had only descended one floor, but the air had already become damp. Amy, avoiding broken and uneven flooring, placed her hand on the wall for balance. The stone walls were also damp. After inspecting the area, they went down another level.

No more light reached this depth, and Captain Vernon pulled a torch off the wall and lit it, holding it aloft. The torch blazed, casting eerie shadows in the grim dungeon.

“What are you planning to do here?”

The butler’s voice echoed as if they were in a cave, his neck shrinking in fear. Captain Vernon, inspecting the surroundings, asked him,

“Has the butler never been down here before?”

“Yes. I’ve lived in the Grand Duke’s castle for 40 years, and during that time, there’s never been a prisoner here…”

Both Amy and Captain Vernon turned to look at him simultaneously.