This was Wei’s fault for not explaining earlier.

Elena Jellisto, who appeared as if she had fallen from the sky when the trading company was struggling. The moment she rolled up her sleeves for her family’s company, the business took flight.

“I memorized your face then.”

“So tell me why, even knowing who I was, you sent me off like that at the night market and then came looking for me here.”

“First, I was the only one who knew your identity, so you don’t need to worry about other dangers. No one knows you came and left that day.”

Wei calmly laid out his story.

“Night market merchants cannot roam freely during the day. Most of them refuse to come out under the sun because they engage in illegal trades. Of course, I’m not like that.”

Wei puffed out his chest proudly. But he soon stopped when his rope-bound wrists pulled painfully.

“But you walk around freely in broad daylight?”

His silver hair swayed and floated on his behalf since he couldn’t move.

“Yes. I had to move around for market research.”

“Wasn’t it because you felt suffocated staying inside?”

Wei hid his answer with a smile. In the end, that was correct. Elena was flabbergasted but waited for his next words.

“I’ve been waiting for the baron to clear up my misunderstanding and restore my status. I’ve been doing business according to my principles while waiting for that day.”

“Using lovers was a good idea.”

“When you strengthen love, you get rewarded accordingly.”

Wei grinned.

“You saw the effect yourself, so you know.”

“Hold on.”

Elena received a dagger from the knight and waved it mischievously in front of his eyes. Seeing him shrink his shoulders at the dagger, she said:

“Not at all, so skip that story.”

“Understood. Anyway, I happened to see you by chance. I knew Spark Trading Company was targeting a certain trading company, so I secretly went to see it.”

Wei’s lips curled up slightly as if recalling that moment.

“Jellisto Trading Company was truly a warm place. So much so that I wanted to find a new place there for myself.”

Elena’s eyes narrowed. The reason he hadn’t revealed who she was despite knowing… He had been hiding and waiting for an opportunity, but it seemed he would never get it, so he clearly came to her as an alternative.

“You came to make a deal with me.”

“That’s right.”

Wei just smiled brightly without asking her to trust him. After all, trust between merchants isn’t built with words. She could investigate whether he had violated business ethics by checking for traces.

“You didn’t come empty-handed, did you?”

“Of course, I came fully prepared.”

Elena readily extended her hand.

“Give it to me. I’ll decide after seeing it.”

“Ah, if you untie the ropes, I’ll take it out for you.”

“Tell me verbally.”

The knight who had been listening to the conversation nudged Wei’s chest, causing him to giggle and twist his body from the ticklish sensation.

“It’s not there…… hahaha.”

As Wei collapsed sideways, Elena raised her hand to push the knight away. Wei, who had been squirming on the floor, lifted only his head.

“Are you really not going to let me take it out myself?”

“Yes. So hurry up and tell me.”

“In that case……”

Wei blushed and raised his b*ttocks upward.

“It’s here.”

As Elena instinctively backed away, the knight’s face contorted. Reluctantly, unable to ask his lady to do it, he inserted his trembling hand into Wei’s pants as if touching excrement.

“Hmm?”

The knight seemed to guess something from the shape he felt and pulled it straight out.

Then he handed it to Elena.

“It’s a book.”

“Yes. It looks like just a book from the outside.”

“The moment you open that book, Miss, you will take me in.”

When Wei spoke with confidence, Elena became even more curious. So, suppressing her reluctance, she took the book.

The book, held only by her fingertips, seemed about to fall at any moment, but Elena was more interested in seeing what was inside and turned the cover.

With each page she turned, Elena’s gaze hardened.

“It’s a double ledger.”

“That’s right.”

A weapon she hadn’t even thought of looking for had rolled in on its own.

“I was planning to visit today anyway, so this is perfect.”

Elena’s smile deepened, revealing her hostility toward Baron Vulti.

* * *

“You’ll definitely help me, right?”

Baron Vulti looked at the man sitting across from him with desperate eyes. He filled them with an earnest wish that his feelings would be conveyed to him.

“Of course, I’ve supported the baron, so naturally.”

Hearing the desired answer from the man, the baron’s lips loosened into a smile.

“I’m very reassured that Your Highness has come to meet me like this.”

“I don’t easily abandon those with whom I’ve formed a bond, no matter who they become. Don’t forget that I’m behind you, and go wild as you wish.”

As the man raised his wine glass, his face appeared on the crystal surface. His pupils, darkening the transparent glass, curved with laughter.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Ah, and I hear you’ve obtained a precious item this time?”

“That’s right.”

Baron Vulti smiled broadly.

Until now, Baron Vulti couldn’t express his displeasure that the Grand Duke had taken Count Jellisto’s side. This was because it would be difficult to confront him unless one was at least another Grand Duke or at minimum a Marquis.

But now that he could receive help from the Kingdom of Kristan through an item that had accidentally crossed into the Empire, he felt capable of facing the Grand Duke.

Of course, the man before him, Crown Prince Suharto, was the biggest pillar of support he believed in.

“Can I see that item?”

“Of course. Go and bring the item.”

There was a necklace obtained by chance through black market trade. With this jewel from the Kingdom of Kristan, an opportunity arose to repay the humiliation suffered previously.

While the aide was gone, Baron Vulti poured wine into Suharto’s glass.

“This time I will surely flatten the Grand Duke’s nose. You don’t know how hard I’ve worked to create this opening. But after the Grand Duke ruined everything, I’ve been so furious I can’t sleep at night.”

The Grand Duke had ruined everything Baron Vulti had spent years preparing to betray Count Jellisto. Since it had been like his last chance, he ground his teeth.

“Yes, I believe in you, baron.”

Suharto tilted his wine glass, estimating how long it had been since the baron’s aide left.

“It’s taking time.”

“Perhaps the aide found that the merchant isn’t in his place.”

“You left it with a merchant?”

“Well……”

Baron Vulti lowered his voice as if embarrassed.

“My mansion was once turned upside down, so the night market was the only safe place.”

Since evidence that the double ledger was false had been found in the mansion, he could no longer hide precious items there.

That’s why he hadn’t retrieved it from the merchant who had been keeping it all this time.

“What if someone buys it?”

“On the surface, it’s an ordinary necklace, but that hazy fog inside can never be hidden. The moment someone wears it around their neck, their head will fly off by a knight of the kingdom.”

“What if they don’t wear it?”

“I’ve repeatedly emphasized not to sell it and checked on the item occasionally. The merchant will be keeping it without selling it to anyone, so don’t worry.”

While Baron Vulti was proudly thumping his chest, telling Suharto to trust only him, the aide returned with the merchant.

The jewelry merchant, who had been dragged away suddenly while preparing for business, knelt upon seeing Baron Vulti.

“Baron.”

“Yes. Now quickly present that accessory.”

“That one……”

“The one I told you to keep safe before.”

When the baron urged the slow-witted merchant who didn’t understand immediately, he finally realized and took out a box he always carried with him.

The plain box was the same one he had seen several times before.

“Give it to me.”

The baron almost snatched the box and respectfully presented it to Suharto.

“Please open it yourself.”

“I will.”

Tension filled the air as Suharto opened the lid of the box.

With a ‘click,’ the joint came loose, and a distinctively foul odor flowed out from the opened box. As he fully opened the lid, Suharto’s gaze hardened.

“What is this?”

Baron Vulti, who had been watching with expectation that the crown prince would be pleased, realized something was wrong. He frantically rolled his eyes.

“You’re saying this is the jewel from the Kingdom of Kristan? To me, it looks like a worthless necklace sold anywhere.”

Suharto’s voice, which should have been pleased, flowed out hard and flat.

Thinking this couldn’t be right, Baron Vulti turned the box toward himself. After briefly frowning at the sharp stench, he stared into the box with utter bewilderment.

“Where is the necklace I told you to keep?”

He shouted at the jewelry merchant. This was not something he could overlook—disappointing none other than the crown prince.

“I kept it exactly as you ordered, baron, and didn’t display it anywhere.”

“Did I tell you to keep this kind of cheap necklace?”

“Cheap? You said it was a necklace from across the sea.”

The merchant stupidly retorted, having assumed it wasn’t just an ordinary necklace due to its distinctive strong scent.

“Not this one, but another one. Another one.”

“But Wei clearly……”

The jewelry merchant became flustered and confused.

He had only kept the box as instructed by Wei, who had helped with this matter because he was afraid of the baron.