The Fake Hero’s Misadventures:

Jaeho stood outside the steward's quarters, his palms sweaty and his nerves shot. This was the man Gwen claimed had given her the poisoned wine. Did that mean the steward was the poisoner? Jaeho didn't know, but one thing was clear—he wasn't ready to confront anyone who could potentially want him dead.

"Are you going to stand there all day, or are you planning to knock?" Kaia's voice broke through his thoughts, calm but tinged with amusement.

"I'm working up to it," Jaeho muttered, glaring at her. "You could've done this yourself, you know."

Kaia smirked. "But then how would you learn to be a proper hero?"

Jaeho rolled his eyes and, with a deep breath, knocked on the door.

The steward opened it almost immediately, a thin man with a sharp nose and calculating eyes. He looked surprised to see Jaeho standing there.

"Your Grace," the steward said, bowing deeply. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

Jaeho cleared his throat, trying to look confident. "I have a few questions for you. May we come in?"

The steward hesitated for a moment before stepping aside to let them in. His quarters were modest, with neatly stacked papers and a small bookshelf. Everything about the room screamed "organized and meticulous."

Kaia took up a position by the door, her watchful gaze making it clear that she wasn't here to make small talk.

"I'll get straight to the point," Jaeho said, deciding to channel every detective he'd ever seen in a crime drama. "Did you handle the wine that was served to me last night?"

The steward blinked, his expression unreadable. "Yes, Your Grace. As part of my duties, I oversee all food and drink prepared for royal events."

"And," Jaeho pressed, "did you do anything… unusual with the wine?"

The steward's eyes narrowed slightly. "Unusual? Of course not. The wine was selected from the royal cellar, as always."

"Then how do you explain the fact that it was poisoned?" Jaeho blurted out, immediately regretting his choice of words.

The steward's face went pale. "P-Poisoned? I… I had no idea! I would never allow something like that to happen!"

Kaia stepped forward, her tone cool and authoritative. "If that's true, then perhaps you can tell us who else had access to the wine before it reached the banquet hall."

The steward's hands trembled as he adjusted his collar. "No one else touched it, I swear! I personally inspected the bottle before handing it to Gwen. She's a diligent worker—she wouldn't have tampered with it."

"Are you sure?" Jaeho asked, his voice rising. "Because someone definitely tried to kill me, and I'd like to know who!"

The steward's nervousness seemed to grow with every passing second. "Your Grace, I—I assure you, I would never…" He trailed off, his gaze darting toward the window.

Jaeho followed his line of sight and spotted a figure lurking outside—a cloaked man disappearing into the shadows.

"Did you see that?" Jaeho asked, pointing at the window.

Kaia was already moving, her hand on her sword. "Stay here," she ordered, throwing the door open and sprinting after the figure.

"Wait!" Jaeho called after her, but she was already gone.

---

Left alone with the steward, Jaeho suddenly felt very vulnerable. The man was still pale and shaking, but his eyes had taken on a strange gleam.

"Your Grace," the steward began, his voice barely above a whisper, "I swear on my life, I did not poison you. But… I may know someone who would."

Jaeho's heart skipped a beat. "Who?"

The steward hesitated, as if weighing the consequences of speaking. "There's been talk among the staff… whispers of a faction unhappy with the current royal court. They believe the Hero of Prophecy is a false symbol, meant to distract the people from their suffering."

Jaeho swallowed hard. False symbol? That hit a little too close to home.

"Do you know who's involved in this… faction?" he asked, his voice shaking.

The steward shook his head. "No, but… I've heard rumors that they operate from the merchant's district. If you go there, perhaps you can find more answers."

Jaeho nodded slowly, though every fiber of his being screamed at him to leave this investigation to someone more qualified. Like Kaia. Or literally anyone else.

---

Kaia returned a few minutes later, her sword still sheathed but her expression grim. "The cloaked figure got away," she said, her tone clipped. "But it's clear someone's keeping an eye on you."

"Great," Jaeho muttered. "More people who want to kill me. Just what I needed."

Kaia's sharp gaze landed on the steward, who looked like he was about to faint. "Did he tell you anything useful?"

Jaeho nodded. "Apparently, there's a faction in the merchant's district that might be behind the poisoning."

Kaia raised an eyebrow. "A faction? That's a bold accusation. Do you have any proof?"

The steward flinched under her scrutiny. "N-No, but I've heard the rumors for months. They're angry about taxes, about the kingdom's priorities… they see the Hero of Prophecy as a distraction."

Kaia frowned. "If that's true, then this faction could be a much bigger threat than we realized."

"Bigger threat?" Jaeho repeated, his voice rising. "Kaia, I'm just one guy! I can't take on an entire faction!"

"You don't have to," Kaia said calmly. "But if they're targeting you, we need to find out why. The sooner we deal with this, the safer you'll be."

Jaeho groaned, already regretting every decision that had led him to this point. "Fine. Let's go to the merchant's district and see if we can find anything. But for the record, I'm not happy about this."

Kaia smirked. "Noted, Master."

---

As Jaeho and Kaia set off for the merchant's district, the plot thickened. Who was behind the poisoning? Was the faction real, or was it just another misunderstanding? And how much longer could Jaeho keep pretending to be the hero before everything fell apart?

One thing was certain—Jaeho's misadventures were far from over.