IBDSID Chapter 136

136. Hyun’s Scheme

Hyun approached Roselia and Johannes with a nod and greeted them casually.

It was Grand Duke Rubelio who acknowledged them first.

“To meet the Marquess of Euciliod here—what a surprise. And I see the young lady of the house is with you, so I assume you’ve met with His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Roselia responded silently, simply bowing her head to Rubelio’s smooth, nonchalant greeting.

Meanwhile, her gaze quickly scanned Rubelio and Hyun.

Were they close enough to be meeting alone like this?

Given Hyun’s personality, it didn’t seem likely that he would have approached first…

As if reading her thoughts, Johannes subtly addressed the Grand Duke.

“A pleasure to see you, Your Grace. The gentleman beside you—isn’t he the representative of the Zelos delegation?”

Hyun didn’t respond verbally, simply returning a polite bow, prompting the Grand Duke to answer instead.

“Ah… you could say we’ve become acquainted through cigarettes. Zelos cigarettes are rather curious—long and thin. Have you seen them before?”

Rubelio chuckled playfully, but Johannes responded indifferently, showing no interest.

“I see. Are you on your way to see His Highness Prince Alphonse?”

Johannes’s pointed question seemed to be an attempt to probe the Grand Duke’s intentions. Rubelio, however, kept a calm expression and smiled faintly.

“Of course, I must see Prince Alphonse. But first, I intend to pay my respects to Crown Prince Aaron. Now that the coronation has concluded, it’s about time I prepare to return to my homeland. Well then, if you’ll excuse me…”

With that, the Grand Duke passed by Roselia with Hyun in tow.

Roselia glanced back, staring intently at the two men’s retreating figures.

Hyun was currently involved in the Bellog merchant group project as Zelos’s representative.

If he was aligned with the Grand Duke…

Then the merchant venture might need to be reevaluated.

“Roselia?”

At Johannes’s call, Roselia quickly gathered her thoughts and began walking, an anxious air about her.

“Let’s go, Johannes.”

* * *

Roselia sat in the carriage headed toward Pelton Port, deep in thought.

Ever since she began to suspect something between Hyun and Grand Duke Rubelio, everything felt uncomfortable.

Even the words Hyun had spoken to her that day in the hallway…

‘You should know that meddling can bring trouble.’

She had thought it was advice, but was it actually a warning not to dig any deeper?

And yet… Hyun had also warned her about the banquet on the day of the coronation and given her some advice.

In the end, ignoring his warning nearly caused serious trouble for her and Klaus…

At the time, Hyun had said it was advice out of gratitude.

He wasn’t someone who showed emotions easily, nor was he particularly talkative, so it was hard to guess what he was truly thinking—but he didn’t seem hostile toward her or the House of Euciliod.

Or… was that also just her misunderstanding?

While Roselia was lost in those thoughts, the carriage had already arrived at Pelton Port.

In a few days, the ships from the Benuve merchant group and the wagons from the Kingdom of Mule would be departing.

Roselia had come to the port to check on the progress and discuss matters related to Bellog and Zelos once more before that happened.

She stepped down from the carriage and walked across the port with familiar ease.

Three massive ships from the Benuve merchant group stood proudly docked in view.

In front of them, Mule Kingdom’s cargo wagons were lined up in great numbers.

Amid the bustling crowd of merchants and sailors, a familiar face appeared.

Bellog, busy inspecting a stack of item lists and cargo, looked overwhelmed—but his eyes were full of energy.

“Marquis!”

“Oh! Lady Roselia! I heard you’d be coming, so I came out to meet you!”

It seemed he’d been waiting quite a while, but Roselia didn’t mind and gave him a small smile.

“You seem busy.”

“Well, yes. The Benuve ships are set to depart in three days, after all. The wagons from Mule just arrived as well.”

Not long ago, there had only been a few wagons from the Bellog merchant group, but now they filled an entire corner of the port.

Roselia gave him a sympathetic look—his face was bright, but he looked clearly exhausted.

“Is it really necessary for you to handle all this yourself, Marquis?”

“I can’t help it—unless I check everything myself, I get anxious. But don’t worry. Since this is the first trade for the Bellog group, I intend to see it through perfectly.”

With a wide grin, he patted his chest, and Roselia let out a faint laugh.

“Oh, by the way, Mr. Hyun from Zelos is here too—have you greeted him?”

“From Zelos…?”

At the mention of Hyun, Roselia’s face involuntarily stiffened.

Bellog, noticing her expression with a hint of curiosity, continued without concern.

“Yes, and the aide from House Valtazar just arrived a moment ago as well. It seems everyone’s eager to see how this first trade plays out.”

If it was someone from House Valtazar, it had to be Alejandro.

She’d heard that Klaus was staying in Raphelios for a while due to the hotel and trade route ventures he’d initiated.

“Ah, there he is!”

At Bellog’s words, Alejandro, who had just disembarked from one of the Benuve ships, noticed Roselia and walked over.

“It’s a pleasure to see you here, Lady Roselia. Or should I say, Lady of the Marquess’s house now?”

He greeted her with a polite bow and a cheerful smile, prompting Roselia to smile back sheepishly.

“Please, feel free to call me however you like. More importantly… His Grace the Duke…”

She hesitated, but Alejandro smoothly responded.

“He had matters to review regarding the hotel, so I came in his place. He said he would stop by the port even if a bit late, so if you wait, you’ll be able to see him.”

“Oh, no, I was just curious whether you came alone, that’s all.”

Roselia waved her hands quickly, flustered, and Alejandro gave her a warm smile.

At that moment, Hyun appeared behind Alejandro, stepping down from the ship.

Roselia’s expression visibly stiffened again.

Alejandro, noticing her reaction, turned his head to look behind him.

“Ah, I was surprised too when I heard Zelos would be participating in this project. I already recognized Lady Roselia’s talent back in Rugbeljet, but this is truly impressive.”

Roselia gave an awkward smile at Alejandro’s praise.

It was true she had played a key role in the venture—but she had never reached out to Zelos herself.

Strictly speaking, Zelos had come to them on its own.

Once she realized that, the things she had previously chalked up to luck suddenly felt suspicious.

As Roselia stared at Hyun, who had now approached them, he gave her a sidelong glance before turning to Bellog.

“I’ve confirmed that the goods from Zelos were properly loaded onto Benuve’s ships and Mule’s cargo wagons.”

“Yes, you didn’t need to confirm it yourself, but thank you.”

Despite Bellog’s friendly smile, Hyun maintained his usual stern expression.

Roselia, watching him closely, stepped up beside Bellog and glared at Hyun with a wary look.

“I’ve been wondering—what exactly does this project mean to Zelos?”

Everyone turned to Roselia at her sudden question.

Bellog looked alarmed, as if to ask why she was bringing this up out of nowhere.

But the more she thought about it, the more things felt suspicious, and Roselia didn’t back down.

“This merchant venture is meant to promote active trade between nations. But isn’t trade nearly impossible for Zelos because of the Sea Fortress blocking the western sea?”

To her calm question, Hyun looked down at her and answered in his usual dry tone.

“In return, we salvaged goods from a Zelosian ship that sank at the Sea Fortress. Given its location, it’s difficult to transport items from the Sea Fortress to Zelos—but not so much to Raphelios.”

“Even so, goods from this continent can’t be sent back to Zelos. The currency here likely isn’t even accepted there.”

At her sharp remark, Hyun silently nodded.

“That’s true. This continent’s currency doesn’t circulate in Zelos.”

“Then why…”

“To gain the trust of the House of Euciliod.”

Hyun looked down at Roselia as he said it.

Trust…?

He joined the project just to earn the Marquess’s trust?

Roselia frowned as she stared at him, and Hyun added more.

“And of the Raphelios Imperial Family, and the kingdoms of Benuve and Mule.”

His dry words left Roselia stunned.

That only made things sound even more suspicious.

What was he planning to do after earning the trust of the Marquess, Benuve, and Mule?

Was he going to betray them the moment they lowered their guard…?

While Roselia’s thoughts spiraled, Bellog awkwardly inserted himself between them with a nervous laugh.

“Hahaha! Whatever the case, if this trade project succeeds, it’ll be beneficial for everyone involved, won’t it? And if people on the continent get to experience Zelosian culture, maybe it’ll help open up their long-blocked trade routes too.”

When Roselia didn’t respond, Bellog gave her a sheepish smile and scratched his head.

“W-Well then, take your time and look around. I need to check some shipments, so I’ll excuse myself…”

Before Roselia could say anything more, Bellog quickly slipped away into the crowd of merchants.

Even after he was gone, Roselia continued to glare suspiciously at Hyun.

But Hyun simply looked down at her with the same unreadable face he always wore, as if unfazed by anything.

The scene resembled an angry rabbit glaring at a well-fed wolf.

Sensing the awkward tension between the two, Alejandro spoke up with a troubled expression.

“Then I’ll take my leave as well. The Duke should be arriving any moment now…”

Just as Alejandro turned to leave, two sailors carrying a large crate passed by their side.

At that moment, another crate stacked on top wobbled—and began to tilt toward Roselia.

“Whoa…!”

Alejandro shouted in alarm as he noticed the falling crate.

Roselia turned her head just in time to see the shadow of the box looming over her—and froze.

At that exact moment, another shadow rushed toward her.

Crash—! Bang!

There was a loud impact and the sound of something breaking.

When Roselia, startled, lifted her head, she saw Hyun holding his arm up, sword hilt in hand, shielding her as he crouched over her protectively.

“A-Are you both all right?!”

Alejandro’s panicked voice and the sailors’ flustered apologies rang out.

Roselia looked up at Hyun, still dazed and not fully understanding what had just happened.

He looked down at her calmly, his face as unreadable as ever—no trace of surprise or emotion.

Just as she remained frozen by the sudden incident, another voice called out.

“Y-Your Grace! You’re here!”

Roselia finally returned to her senses and turned her head.

There stood Klaus, dressed in a sharp suit, silently gazing at the crouching Roselia and Hyun, who was still shielding her with his body.