Well,“hanging around”isn’t quite the right term—after all, he held a legitimate position:Chief Inspector of the Taman family.

　　The day before yesterday, Spisa mentioned there was an important matter to discuss, and Deli perked up. It was a rare opportunity to carry out a mission, so he had to report for duty immediately.

　　The estates of the Perth and Taman families were far apart. Under normal circumstances, even if a carriage were driven day and night without rest, it would take at most half a month to reach Spisa Manor—yet Deli arrived the very next morning. This wasn’t just a matter of money; it was a matter of time and effort. The manor’s servants all wondered:just how many horses must Young Master Deli have worn out to get here so quickly?

　　As soon as the carriage came to a stop, he leaned out and stepped down.

　　The servants, who had been busy pruning, watering, and planting flowers, all stopped what they were doing and respectfully called out,“Good morning, Master Deri!”

　　“Good morning, everyone~”Deri waved, and all the maids screamed in adoration.

　　“Master Deri looks just as handsome as ever today!”

　　“Haha, you’re all beautiful too~”

　　“Master, you’re here so early today. Have you had breakfast yet?”

　　“Not yet. I was planning to have it with Spisa.”

　　“We’ll prepare your favorite apple pie for you, Master!”

　　“That’s very kind of you.”

　　……

　　He was always like this—welcomed wherever he went.

　　The manor was bustling with noise until the butler emerged, bringing the conversation to a halt.

　　Deri noticed the servants’expressions, turned his head toward the steps, and—as if he’d known the visitor was coming—lifted his face with a smile.“Dicai, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

　　Dicai was the butler at Spisa Manor, and he was used to Deri disrupting the manor’s order.

　　He bowed and politely gestured for him to follow.“Master Deri, please follow me.”

　　“Oh come on, don’t call me that. It’s only been a few days—are we already growing distant?”

　　“Master Deri, these are the estate’s rules.”

　　“Rules or no rules, you’re just a stubborn old fossil. Spisa never told me anything about any rules.”

　　Dicai dared not say more, but simply led the way ahead of him.

　　Having shot himself in the foot, Deri could only play with a coin he’d pulled from his pocket, tossing and catching it, before changing the subject out of boredom:“I wonder, why is Spisa so busy every day?”

　　“His Excellency is the heir to the Taman family. Aside from meeting with foreign dignitaries, he also manages the family’s internal affairs, so naturally, he’s swamped with official duties.”

　　“Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”

　　Deri was about to say something else when Dicai interrupted him. He led Deri into the reception hall, deftly pulled out a chair, and said respectfully,“Young Master Deri, please have a seat.”

　　Deri glanced around and realized that Dicai hadn’t taken him to Spisa’s office.

　　Dicai seemed to sense his confusion and explained,“Young Master, please take a seat. His Excellency will be here shortly.”

　　Hearing this, Deri didn’t ask any further questions and obediently sat down.

　　After a while, Spisa finally made an appearance. He came down from the second floor, his heels clacking on the stairs. Deri looked up and met the other man’s gaze—a dull stare that betrayed not a hint of joy.

　　“I’ve finally waited for the estate’s owner,”he said, half-jokingly.“Spisa, your hospitality leaves much to be desired.”

　　Spisa wasn’t having any of it and retorted,“I didn’t ask you to come this early in the morning.”

　　Deri kept smiling, feigning seriousness:“What can I say? My professional ethics are through the roof. Getting up early and standing by is in my blood—I can’t even slack off if I wanted to.”

　　Spisa sat down in the head seat and retorted bluntly,“You’re not usually this eager, are you?”

　　Deri widened his eyes and said indignantly,“Man, I’ve noticed you really don’t hold your tongue. I’ve been waiting for you for ages, you know!”

　　Deli had indeed been waiting for a long time. The butler had the servants bring out numerous meals, but even after eating one meal after another, there was still no sign of Spisa. He asked Dicai to check on him, but the reply he received was always the same:“You’ve arrived too early. Please have a meal first.”Strictly speaking, he had indeed arrived too early—it was exactly the sixth hour of the morning. What young duke or countess would be up this early? It must be that only a lunatic like him would rush over this early! Moreover, upon arriving at the estate, he didn’t even have his servants announce his arrival; he simply barged into the manor with his entire entourage.

　　Spisa thought to herself:Let him wait—he deserves it.

　　Dicai was very perceptive; seeing the two bickering, he tactfully instructed the servants to set the table and then withdrew.

　　“Let’s eat,”Spisa said, not wanting to say more, and grimly gestured for him to pick up his fork.

　　Deli felt somewhat helpless; even if he wanted to dine with Spisa, it was simply impossible. Exhausted and hungry from the long journey, the longer he leaned back in his chair waiting, the more intense his hunger became. Before Dicai could even try to dissuade him, his stomach could no longer withstand the temptation of food. He hastily grabbed his knife to cut the steak, shoving a slice into his mouth as soon as it was cut—one after another, until his cheeks were bulging. After finishing the steak, he moved on to apple pie, shoveling one dish after another into his mouth until his stomach was as round as a ball.

　　He couldn’t eat another bite.“I’m a little too full right now. You go ahead and eat…”

　　Spisa glanced at him, her gaze resting on him.

　　Deri panicked:“W-what’s with that look?!”

　　Spisa:“……”

　　Huh, what on earth is going through this guy’s head?

　　Spisa scoffed inwardly, but his words had already shifted to another topic. He elegantly ate his steak without so much as a glance at Deri, simply getting down to business:“There’s a problem over at Grete.”

　　Grete is situated in the northwest corner of Taman, right next to the border of the Craig domain, and serves as the most important junction between the two regions. Caravans pass through here frequently, and the market operates day and night. On the surface, it appears to be a thriving hub, but in reality, the black market has flourished rapidly in recent years. Contraband, contraband salt, weapons, and even intelligence are smuggled in continuously under the cover of legitimate caravans.

　　Upon hearing this, Deli’s expression grew serious.“That place is indeed in utter chaos. Not only is smuggling into the country rampant, but goods being shipped out are also frequent—including ore and antiques. I’ve even heard it involves human trafficking.“The moment there’s the slightest stir at the border, the local bigwigs seize the opportunity to drive down prices and snap up the stolen goods. Whenever a merchant caravan gets robbed, they immediately buy up the goods at rock-bottom prices and resell them at a premium. They’re the best at taking advantage of others’misfortune.”

　　“But have you actually uncovered anything specific?”

　　Spisa:“If I had, why would I have sent you?”

　　Deri:“……”

　　He knew Spisa had a sharp tongue, but today he was worse than usual. He was like a powder keg—one spark and he’d blow Deri to smithereens.

　　“Oh well,”Deri sighed, not bothering to argue with Spisa. He thought for a moment, then said once he’d made up his mind,“This isn’t a simple matter…I’ll pack my bags tomorrow and head to Greate the day after tomorrow to check things out.”

　　“By yourself?”

　　“No, I’ll bring a few inspectors with me. It’ll make the investigation easier, and we won’t attract as much attention.”

　　“I’m coming too.”

　　“You? What are you getting involved for?”

　　Spisa set down his knife and fork, the metal clinking sharply against the porcelain plate.

　　He lifted his gaze, his eyes piercing straight into Deli’s face:“Gleat is on my territory. If I go there myself, is that‘joining the fray’?”

　　Deli felt a chill run down his spine under that stare and quickly waved his hands to backtrack:“Hey, hey, hey, I didn’t mean it that way—I mean, you’re the heir to the prestigious Taman family. If you personally go to a place like that, where all sorts of people mingle, and something goes wrong, how am I supposed to explain it to your family?”

　　“Do I need to explain myself to you?”

　　“……Fine, you’re ruthless.”Deri was so flustered he couldn’t speak for a moment. He simply leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and adopted his usual carefree demeanor.“But what are you even going to do there? Can you tail someone or extract information? The moment you show up at the Gleat Market, it won’t take half an hour for someone to recognize you as the Tamman family’s eldest son. By then, you won’t be able to get a single lead.”

　　Spisa said nothing; he simply lifted his teacup and took a sip, as if waiting for him to finish his rambling.

　　Deri thought he had the upper hand and, smugly crossing one leg over the other, let the tips of his shoes bob up and down.“So, leave this sort of thing to a professional like me. You just stay put at the estate, sip your tea, go over the ledgers, and wait for my news—”

　　“Deri.”

　　Spisa called his name, cutting off the rest of his sentence mid-sentence.

　　“Have you forgotten that you’re merely the Chief Inspector,”Spisa set down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and fixed him with his dark, piercing gaze,“while I am your superior. Everything you uncover in Greate must ultimately be reported to me through the Estate Office. Rather than have you relay it, I’d rather see it for myself. That way, you won’t embellish the story and make it sound completely different.”

　　Dery was momentarily at a loss for words, unable to refute him.

　　Damn it, why does this man’s reasoning hurt more than his insults?

　　“Besides,”Spisa leaned back in his chair, a hint of veiled mockery in his tone,“why do you think I assigned this to you? The situation in Greate isn’t something that can be resolved by sending a few inspectors down to pore over the ledgers. There are too many vested interests involved; some leads simply can’t be uncovered by checking shipping manifests or monitoring checkpoints alone. I need someone with enough clout—and who isn’t too dumb—to pry those people’s mouths open for me.”

　　“Oh—”Delila drawled, leaning in with a twinkle in her eye.“So you think I’ve got enough clout and a sharp mind?”

　　Spisa:“I said‘not too dumb.’Don’t go overacting here.”

　　Delira clutched her chest, feigning a look of heartbreak.“Spisa, what did I do to offend you today? I came running over here all excited first thing in the morning, and this is how you treat me?”

　　“You came here on your own. No one forced you.”

　　“Fine, fine, fine—I’m a masochist. Is that good enough?”

　　Spisa, ever the proud one, snorted lightly.“Good to know.”

　　Just then, Dicai walked in carrying a freshly brewed pot of black tea. He set the teapot and cups on the table, then silently withdrew.

　　The butler clearly understood one truth:when these two young masters were bickering, the less visible he was, the better.

　　Deri picked up the teacup and took a gulp, wincing at the heat as his tongue darted around his mouth. Seeing his flustered expression, Spisa’s brow twitched imperceptibly, but he said nothing in the end.

　　“Well, go ahead then,”Deri said, setting down the teacup and fanning his tongue with his hand, his words coming out slurred.“You’ve got to have some kind of excuse to come with me, right? I can’t just stride into Great and tell everyone,‘This young master is here to investigate you all.’That’d be asking for trouble, wouldn’t it?”

　　“There’s an excuse, of course.”Spisa gave a little flick of his finger. A servant who had been quietly waiting behind him stepped forward immediately, bowing his head submissively, and handed a neatly folded document to Deri.“In three days, there’s a quarterly merchants’meeting in Greate. Officially, it’s where merchants from all over gather to negotiate trade quotas for the second half of the year, but in reality, it’s just a gathering for those local bigwigs to divide up the spoils. As the feudal lords of the domain, the Taman family sends representatives every year. This year, I’ll be attending in person—it makes perfect sense.”

　　Deri unfolded the document, skimmed it quickly, and his eyes lit up.“Brilliant! This way, your presence in Grete will be perfectly legitimate. Not only will those people not suspect a thing, but they’ll have to treat you with the utmost respect. And I’ll blend into your entourage—ostensibly as your attendant, but behind the scenes, I’ll investigate whatever I need to. Spisa, it’s a shame you don’t use that brain of yours as a spy.”

　　“Stop flattering me.”Spisa stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to him.“You’ll pose as my personal attendant and stay by my side throughout the merchants’conference. Don’t miss a single person you need to recognize or a single account you need to record. After the conference, find an excuse to stay in Grete for a few more days—just say I instructed you to stay behind to coordinate trade matters. No one will suspect a thing.”

　　“What about you? Are you staying?”

　　“I’ll head back to the estate as soon as the merchants’conference is over.”

　　“Huh?”Deri jumped to his feet.“You’re just going to leave me there all alone?”

　　Spisa turned around. Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a soft glow over his sharply defined profile. He still wore his usual impassive expression, yet Deri couldn’t help but feel that the light made him look almost unnaturally handsome.

　　“What’s the matter? Scared?”

　　“Scared of what!”Deri puffed out his chest.“I, Deri Perth, walk with my head held high and my back straight. What kind of lion’s den or tiger’s lair haven’t I ventured into? A mere Great—”

　　“Last time you were investigating illegal salt in the Hejian area, you were chased for three blocks before finally escaping by hiding in a pig transport truck.”

　　“...How do you know that?!”

　　“You didn’t include that part in your inspection report, but that inspector of yours named Rock isn’t exactly tight-lipped.”

　　Deri’s face instantly turned the color of a pig’s liver. He pointed at him, stammering“You, you, you”for a while, before finally plopping back into his chair and covering his face with a look of utter despair.“It’s over. My reputation is completely ruined.”

　　Spisa snorted derisively but, unusually, refrained from adding insult to injury.