What kind of ridiculous situation is that?

His eyes met mine directly.

And I couldn’t avoid his gaze.

I had to answer.

“I think it’s a pretty vulgar culture, Cai.”

So, as he demanded, I decided to play the role of a sweet lover.

I didn’t have much talent in this area, but I had no choice.

“Look at those who get excited about this vulgar show.”

I stroked his hand sensually and spoke as seductively as possible.

“See? They compete over something so trivial.”

It was quite a noble-like line, wasn’t it?

Fortunately, he seemed pleased with my answer and didn’t try to challenge me further.

Instead, he smiled at me like the sweetest lover in the world and faithfully played his part as my partner.

“Now, ladies and gentlemen. It’s finally time!”

Time passed quickly, and it was time for the “most splendid grand prize” that the male lead mentioned.

The atmosphere in the overheated illegal arms trade auction hall fell silent in an instant as “it” made its appearance.

“It’s a silver antlered deer found in the Hamel Mountains!”

It was a pure white stag with silver fur from head to toe, like eternal snow.

Because of its unique appearance, it looked like a mysterious creature to anyone who saw it.

If you look closely, it’s just an albino stag… It was fascinating, but people did get too excited about it.

To me, Rose’s pink hair or the crown prince’s red eyes are more unrealistic.

Anyway, I pointed at it as the male lead wanted and said.

“I want that one.”

“Very well.”

As soon as the host’s words ended, the auction reached its climax frighteningly fast. With a grand prize like that, the buyer would be separately invited to a special space.

Even in luxury stores, if you buy something expensive, they invite you to a VIP room.

And the male lead seemed to think that the room where they received the goods was their most important lair.

It seemed like he intended to find confidential documents or evidence related to the Third Prince in that place.

An unimaginable amount of money started to flow.

The male lead, with his confident air, didn’t bat an eye at the soaring amounts and arrogantly observed everything.

This investment would be nothing if he had a plan to catch this illegal site and crush it. After all, the moment they were caught, their property would be state property.

“200,000 gold!”

The price had already skyrocketed and reached a certain point, and it no longer increased.

“200,000 gold, is there no more?”

And at that moment, the male lead casually held up a sign and spoke with confidence.

“500,000 gold.”

It was definitely a large amount.

The price was so high that no one else wanted to pay more than what he had offered.

***

The male lead and I were able to enter the deep secret space behind the party venue quite smoothly.

I was extremely uncomfortable in various ways, but he surprisingly seemed unaffected.

‘Isn’t he even nervous?’

Just holding his hand was enough to make cold sweat trickle down my back.

II thought it was amazing that he remained so composed.

The masked servant guided us to a room. Compared to the male lead’s room, it was slightly less extravagant, but from my perspective, it boasted a similar level of grandeur.

The red carpet and golden wall decorations were impressive, but somehow amidst all the splendor, there was an indescribable vulgarity.

“I will prepare the item shortly. Please wait a moment.”

The servant bowed to us and then retreated.

Finally, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

It felt like my breath had been caught in my throat.

The place the servant led us to seemed to be underground, adding to that feeling.

“Well, for a first time, it’s not bad.”

The male lead lightly tapped the wall with his finger and spoke.

“There should be an office somewhere here. My goal is to obtain the payment approval documents of the Third Prince, which should be there.”

Then he spun around and looked at me with a playful smile.

“Well, what do you think? Isn’t this a fairly kind explanation?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Your face doesn’t seem appreciative at all.”

Step by step, he approached me and spoke in a low voice.

“You seem quite relieved wearing that mask, but unfortunately, I can see what expression you’re making behind it.”

What was it about me that was bothering him?

By this point, it felt quite unfair.

I’m obviously doing a good job of following his instructions, so what’s the problem?

“If you’re going to wear a mask, wear it properly. You shouldn’t feel relieved just because you put on one.”

“I will be more cautious.”

I didn’t know how to respond, so I decided to stick with the yes-man tactic.

Well, I wasn’t oblivious to the fact that he was skilled at reading people’s expressions.

It hit me again how much he could discern just by observing my face.

He started to wander around the room, his long legs stepping lightly, as if he didn’t care whether I was stunned or lost in thought.

Feeling like I should do something too, I quickly scanned the room.

Typically, in illegal shops like this, there would be a secret space behind the area where customers were served.

Although this place was slightly different, just going to the knock-off markets in Namdaemun, the shop owner would show me a catalog, tell me to wait for a moment, and then swiftly guide me into some peculiar space.

I started tapping weakly on the wall.

Have I played too many room escape games? Honestly, it was a bit far-fetched, but I figured it was worth a shot.

A deep, solid sound resonated consecutively before a clear, hollow sound reverberated throughout the room.

I was startled.

This can’t be real.

Reflexively, I glanced at the male lead.

He, too, had a startled expression, not any less than mine.

“…It seems to be a false wall, Your Highness.”

That’s when it happened.

With a gentle knocking sound, the servant entered, and I quickly stood by the male lead’s side, pretending that nothing had happened, crossing my arms.

“Let’s confirm the items first.”

A screeching sound hit my ears sharply.

My gaze traveled to the source.

There was a wounded stag, covered in scars and holding its antlers, much closer than what we saw on stage.

“First, I will give you the key to the shackles. Take your time to confirm it and let me know. I will soon bring the engraved scroll.”

The masked merchant spoke to us in a fairly polite tone.

“Oh, this is the white wine that our guild has specially brought in.”

A female servant then entered and set down a simple tray of fruit and liquor on the table in front of the couch.

And it was just me, Calix, and the deer in this small, stuffy space.

“Piiiiiiiii!”

I couldn’t help but turn my head.

With bloodshot eyes, the desperate stag frantically thrashed around, and I couldn’t bring myself to meet its gaze.

“It’s noisy.”

He sat down on the couch, seemingly relaxed, observing the white stag bound by chains.

‘How can he be so nonchalant?’

I let out a short sigh and shifted my gaze to stare at the white wine.

It was sparkling wine.

I was somewhat delighted to see wine here.

I picked up the glass.

I wondered if the process of making wine here was the same as on Earth.

I swirled the glass around and took a whiff of its fragrance. It had a slightly dense floral scent.

I frowned and closely examined the color. The color seemed off.

‘Has it aged too much?’

I glanced briefly at the male lead.

He had closed his eyes, seemingly tired.

Feeling a sense of unease for some reason, I momentarily took out a herb hidden under my glove and dipped it into the wine to see what would happen.

The bubbles stuck to the leaves, but there was no significant change. I wiped the wine off the herb and put it back into the glove.

Suddenly, he reached out for the wine, as his throat was parched.

I also let go of the wine I was holding and tried to readjust my posture.

I had pushed the leaf under the glove too quickly in my haste to conceal it, only to see that it had turned purple as it partially slipped out.

Huh? I reflexively glanced at the male lead.

Time seemed to slow down.

The glass lingered near his lips.

My mind went blank.

Without thinking, I immediately rushed towards him.

I reached out and clumsily snatched the glass from his hand, throwing it behind the sofa.

Crash!

A clear, resonating sound echoed through the room.

I stood frozen, unable to do anything.

What have I done?

‘I’m trying to kill himself.’

I couldn’t say a word. It felt like my lips were stuck together.

“What are you doing?”

He asked, horrifyingly.

But I had no choice.

I was suddenly filled with fear.

But I couldn’t help it.

He may be someone who can survive by drinking poison after receiving the protagonist’s buff, but almost instinctively, I acted on my own.

My behavior here was perfectly reasonable, given the fact that the Venzent leaves I had brought with me had changed color over time.

But the male lead didn’t seem to think so.

I felt an unfamiliar presence piercing through my flesh like prickles.

His red pupils flashed.

‘How do I explain this?’

It was an herb obtained from a person named Mellory.

A mysterious plant and a mysterious person.

Efficacy completely untested.

If the diary was only telling lies, then I was completely deceived by it.

So, if he starts to suspect my identity and dig deeper because of this incident, all the efforts I made to survive up until now will crumble.

The wine glass was already shattered on the floor, and perhaps due to the commotion I caused, urgent footsteps could be heard from outside the door.

” Are you all right, costumer?”