IBDSID Chapter 137

137. A Betrayal

As Roselia stood dazed, staring at Klaus, he strode over without hesitation and, before anyone could say a word, took her out of Hyun’s arms and lifted her up.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“H-Huh?”

Startled, Roselia finally realized she was being carried by Klaus and hurriedly stammered out a reply.

“I-I’m fine, so please put me down.”

Her face flushed under the weight of the surrounding gazes. But Klaus meticulously checked her from head to toe to ensure she wasn’t injured before finally setting her down.

He then turned to the laborers fumbling nearby and scowled deeply.

“Where were you looking?”

“S-Sorry, sir.”

Bellog came rushing through the bustling crowd, out of breath.

“Goodness! Lady Roselia, are you all right? Mr. Hyun, were you hurt?”

Hyun, who had blocked the falling crate with his bare arm and the hilt of his sword to protect Roselia, simply sheathed his blade and responded flatly.

“I’m fine.”

Roselia, realizing only now that Hyun had shielded her, awkwardly bowed her head toward him.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I wasn’t hurt.”

At her words, Hyun gave her a curt nod.

Klaus, silently watching the exchange, stepped forward to stand before Hyun.

“If you’re injured, say so. I’ll send the Valtazar family’s physician to your hotel room.”

Klaus had clearly heard that Hyun was staying at the Valtazar Hotel.

But Hyun, as impassive as ever, answered with calm indifference.

“I saved the Marquess’s daughter—why would the Duke’s house send their physician for me?”

It was a fair question, and Klaus fell silent.

As Hyun said, he and Roselia weren’t connected by any particular relationship.

That fact left Klaus visibly displeased, his brow furrowing stiffly.

Just then, the sailors who had been inspecting the shattered crate contents spoke up with troubled voices.

“Oh no, what do we do? Of all things, it had to be glass crafts.”

At the sailor’s lament, Bellog rushed over to check the contents of the broken crate.

Judging by his troubled expression, it seemed the items had been quite expensive.

“Seriously, how could you carry fragile goods like that so carelessly? What if Lady Roselia had been cut?”

At Bellog’s outburst, the sailors couldn’t lift their heads and stood nervously.

“Marquis, I’m fine.”

Roselia tried to defuse the situation with a strained smile, though it was clear Bellog was more upset about the costly goods than anything else.

Then Hyun, who had been silently observing the situation, spoke up.

“It seems the crate broke when I struck it with the sword hilt. I’ll pay for the damages.”

“What? You, Mr. Hyun?”

Roselia stepped forward, startled by Hyun’s offer.

“But you only did that to protect me. If that’s the case, then I’ll cover the cost.”

As Roselia joined in, Bellog’s eyes widened in surprise.

Watching them with clear disapproval, Klaus spoke with a calm, flat tone.

“It looks like this happened because Alejandro showed up in front of the sailors. I’ll handle the compensation.”

At Klaus’s sudden comment, Alejandro blurted out in a sharp, incredulous voice:

“W-What…?”

Alejandro looked so dumbfounded that he seemed more wronged than anything else. Bellog gave an awkward smile and waved his hand.

“No, no. This was due to the sailors’ carelessness. As the head of the merchant group, it’s my responsibility. I’ll simply be grateful for the concern the three of you have shown.”

At Bellog’s more composed response, Hyun added in his usual flat tone.

“In that case, allow me to offer some goods from Zelos in exchange. As someone with a stake in this venture, I hope you’ll accept this gesture.”

Faced with Hyun’s sincere offer, Bellog reluctantly smiled and nodded.

Watching Hyun’s retreating figure, Roselia fell into thought.

If Hyun were merely acting on the Grand Duke’s orders, his behavior didn’t seem to reflect that—it felt genuine.

Had she misunderstood him simply because he happened to be seen with the Grand Duke?

While she pondered that, Klaus was staring down at her.

“Are you really all right?”

Roselia flinched slightly, coming back to herself. Avoiding his gaze, she answered in a calm voice.

“I’m fine, really.”

Just then, a familiar voice called out behind her.

“Roselia!”

“I told you to wait in the carriage, and you came out anyway.”

Claucet had apparently followed them out, wanting to explore the merchant stalls.

When she spotted Roselia, she waved enthusiastically, and Roselia waved back with a faint smile.

Claucet quickly approached and wrapped her arm around Roselia’s.

“It sounded noisy over here. Did something happen?”

Roselia brushed it off with a light laugh.

“Nothing serious. More importantly, if you’re here to explore the stalls, would you like some help?”

She offered the suggestion, partly to escape Klaus’s heavy gaze, and did so with extra cheerfulness toward Claucet.

Claucet beamed brightly and nodded.

“Perfect! I was curious because I heard Zelos goods had arrived!”

As Claucet tugged her along excitedly, Roselia glanced back over her shoulder.

Klaus had already approached Bellog and was now speaking with him and Hyun.

* * *

Roselia sat in thought as she sipped tea brewed from Mule Kingdom tea leaves Bellog had sent her.

It seemed her suspicions toward Hyun, based solely on his being seen with the Grand Duke, had been unfounded.

Since then, Hyun had been quite active in helping Bellog with the merchant group’s affairs.

She had even heard that just yesterday, when there was friction over missing Benuve goods, Hyun had stepped up to resolve the issue himself.

Recalling Bellog’s flattering praise of Hyun, Roselia took another sip of tea.

Just then, the door opened, and Eva returned with the dessert she had gone to fetch.

“My lady, a letter has arrived for you.”

“A letter?”

Roselia accepted the envelope with a puzzled look and glanced down at the unfamiliar seal stamped on it.

Upon closer inspection, the seal bore the Chinese character for “Hyun.”

Curious, she opened the letter and found that it was written by Hyun, the envoy from Zelos.

Even though the continent of Zelos didn’t typically use the local script, his handwriting was elegant and fluent.

The letter explained that there had been a problem in the trade between the Bellog and Benuve merchant groups.

It stated that the matter was difficult for Bellog and his team to handle alone, and that the intermediary authority at Pelton Port—the Marquess’s house—should intervene.

It was strange that Bellog hadn’t sent the letter himself, but knowing how responsible he was, perhaps he was trying to resolve the matter independently and hadn’t wanted to trouble her.

Still, it didn’t feel entirely right to act solely on Hyun’s letter either.

As Roselia debated her next move, she hastily scribbled a note on the paper beside her, folded it, and handed it to Eva.

“Tell the butler to give this note to Johannes as soon as he returns.”

Johannes had left the house to pay a formal visit to Crown Prince Aaron.

She had written that if she didn’t return within half a day, he should come find her at the port—just in case anything happened.

Having finished her preparations for any possibility, Roselia quickly threw on a shawl and headed out of the room.

At last, Eva hurried after her and asked urgently:

“My lady, where are you going?”

“I’m heading to Pelton Port.”

With that, Roselia walked briskly out of the room, and Eva, clutching the letter, scrambled after her.

“I’m coming with you!”

* * *

Pelton Port covered a vast area.

Not only did it include the bustling docks near the commercial district, but also the relatively quiet piers on the outskirts—all within the port’s boundaries.

The location Hyun had written in his letter was a secluded pier far from the busy center.

Something happened here?

It seemed strange, but there was no real reason for Hyun to lie, so Roselia kept walking resolutely.

“My lady, are you sure this is the place?”

The area was almost deserted, and the presence of what appeared to be an abandoned ship only made it more eerie.

Roselia maintained a composed expression as she surveyed her surroundings.

That’s when she saw a familiar figure standing in the distance.

It was Hyun.

“Hyun?”

Even when Roselia called his name, he didn’t move a muscle.

Just as Roselia began to approach him with a puzzled look, Eva suddenly threw her arm out in front of her.

“Don’t go.”

Roselia stared in confusion at Eva’s abrupt action. At that moment, another dark figure appeared behind Hyun.

She thought for a second that it might be Bellog—but when she recognized the man, Roselia’s expression stiffened.

Marquis Valken.

A close associate of Prince Alphonse and a leading noble of the concubine faction.

Why is he here…?

A terrible thought crossed her mind, and Roselia’s sharp gaze turned back to Hyun.

It was a look demanding an explanation for this situation.

But Hyun remained silent, not saying a word.

“Heh… Just as Grand Duke Rubelio said. I’m glad I trusted you.”

Only then did Roselia stare at Hyun, unable to believe what she was hearing.

So he really was in league with Grand Duke Rubelio…?

Was that why he joined the Bellog merchant venture? To set up this opportunity?

Anger flared inside her—at him, and at herself for ever having doubted her suspicions.

While Roselia glared furiously at Hyun, Eva drew a dagger from her coat and shouted:

“My lady, behind me!”

Clang!

Eva blocked a charging sailor’s sword and gritted her teeth as she deflected the blow.

Only then did Roselia look around.

Roughly a dozen men had surrounded them.

It looked like Marquis Valken, concerned about being followed, had paid off a gang of back-alley thugs to do his dirty work.

While Roselia clenched her jaw, Eva struggled to hold off several attackers at once.

Eventually, trying to fend off blades from both sides left her open, and a man behind her landed a hard kick to her back.

“Guh—!”

“Eva!!”

One thug stepped on Eva’s face as she collapsed in pain, while another stomped on the hand gripping her blade.

“My lady… run…”

That was when it happened.

Hyun, who had been silently observing everything, finally spoke in a low voice.

“Shadow Blades. Restrain them.”

At his sudden command, both Roselia and Valken turned their eyes to him.

And in the blink of an eye—it happened.

Dozens of dark shapes rose into the night sky above.

At first glance, they seemed like black hawks.

But they weren’t birds—they were men in black, armed and masked, leaping from the abandoned ship.

Their swift, deadly movements made it immediately clear they were no ordinary fighters. Eva, lying wounded, paled even further at the sight.

“Oh… so you brought reinforcements, just in case? How very wise…”

Valken couldn’t finish his sentence.

In the instant it took to blink, Hyun had drawn his sword and placed it at Valken’s neck.

“What… what is this…?”

At the same time, screams rang out from all directions.

“Gaaah!!!!!”

“Wh-Who are you people…?!”

“Aaaaargh!”

The masked warriors—summoned by Hyun’s signal—were cutting down the thugs Valken had brought with brutal efficiency.

With his blade still at Valken’s neck, Hyun gave them a flat command.

“Spare their lives. We’ll need witnesses.”

At his words, the black-hooded warriors nodded crisply in unison.