“Go in, Ariana!”
The members saluted in unison.
Their eyes were shining with solid trust.
I smiled as I left the opera house.
‘This went more smoothly than I thought.’
There were a total of thirty-three pieces of paper in my bag.
They were documents with the signatures of all the members of the Lopez Orchestra.
With this, I had the orchestra in my hands.
The prima soprano.
In other words, the female protagonist... should have been burning with passion in the practice room I had arranged for her by now.
I wanted to go see Rosalind, but I had other things to do today.
Standing in front of the Information Guild Yor, I took a moment to catch my breath.
‘I didn’t expect to hear from you already.’
This morning, I received a secret letter from Yor.
It was a red piece of paper with nothing written on it. Its meaning was ‘The request has been completed.’
“Ah! Welcome, customer!”
As I entered the building, this time it was not Leonard but the receptionist who greeted me.
The employee who showed me to my seat with a friendly attitude immediately started the briefing.
“We got the evidence much faster than I thought.”
The employee said as he unfolded a pile of developed photos.
I was speechless for a moment as I looked at the photos.
A man and a woman kissing in a deserted alley. A man and a woman are in close contact in the backyard of the Lopez mansion.
More than ten sheets of explicit evidence poured out.
“We will continue to investigate until the contract expires, but this is all we have gathered so far.”
I laughed bitterly.
This speed was not just a sign that Yor had good information.
‘That must mean Lucas and Elena are sticking around without paying attention.’
That meant that the two of them were making fun of me.
“And there’s another piece of information I found.”
The employee looked at me.
It seemed like he thought this news would hurt my feelings even more than these explicit photos.
“Elena Lopez... was visiting the pharmacy.”
“I see.”
I nodded lightly.
Women who had affairs with the wrong men often visited the pharmacy.
It was to get birth control pills.
“I’m not even married, and I’m already having a child. My life is over, sob!”
I remembered Elena sobbing in Lucas’s arms.
I swallowed the memory and said calmly.
“It seems to be for birth control. If I could get a prescription, I could use it as evidence that Elena was seeing a man.”
“No... It was actually the opposite.”
The opposite?
When I looked at him with a puzzled look, the employee continued carefully.
“Elena Lopez was prescribed pills to help her get pregnant.”
I slowly left the building.
Elena had been trying to get pregnant from that moment on. That fact lingered in my mind, never leaving.
It had been planned from the beginning. Everything from deceiving me to seducing Lucas and getting pregnant with his child.
The moment she cried pitifully at Lucas, saying that she had ended up having his child...
On her sunken face, she must have been hiding a joyful smile, thinking that she had finally achieved her goal.
“...”
I opened my lips. A sigh or a laugh escaped me.
A very small, slight possibility.
Elena might have fallen in love with Lucas so much that she couldn’t resist his seduction...
That ridiculously slim possibility was completely shattered.
‘Come to your senses. Ariana Lopez.’
I clenched my trembling hands into fists.
‘If you were going to indulge in sentimentality now, you shouldn’t have even started.’
The day I came back from the dead, I swore that I would give back as much as I received, even if it was an illusion, and then close my eyes.
So I decided not to waste time on things like sadness and despair.
That decision was still valid.
I wouldn’t waste time pouring out my emotions on things that weren’t even human. I wouldn’t waste my life, my life that could be taken away by a capricious God at any moment, on such things.
‘So, keep walking.’
I shouldn’t stop and keep moving. I shouldn't be staggering around in a place like this.
That was the thought I had as I forced myself to take a step forward.
“Usually, brides-to-be are so busy before their wedding that they don’t even have time to breathe.”
I held my breath at the voice piercing my ear.
“It’s reassuring to see you here.”
“...”
“It seems like my bride has time to take a walk down the alley.”
Was this what it meant to be so shocked that your heart almost dropped to your toes?
I barely managed to hide my agitation and turned around.
A man with a huge presence that didn’t seem to fit in with the narrow alley was smiling like a painting.
“Your Excellency the Duke.”
I opened my mouth, doubting my eyes.
Your Excellency the noble Duke and a back alley? Just when I thought it seemed like an odd combination, like a bad joke...
My eyes met with the head of a man Dante was holding with his right hand, standing awkwardly.
“...Your Excellency. That man?”
The man’s eyes were already bruised and bloodshot as if he had been squeezed so hard that it seemed to burst.
I looked at the man, who was trembling so much that he looked pitiful, and asked, and Dante answered lightly.
“The rat that followed you around.”
I opened my eyes slightly wide and Dante smiled obliquely.
“You didn’t know you had a tail?”
I had no idea.
Someone was following me, and Dante even found out and beat up the culprit, but I was surprised that I didn’t notice at all.
Maybe that’s because my mind was completely consumed by thoughts of Elena.
“You should be more careful.”
Dante warned me and looked at me.
“A young lady who seems to have been raised well is an easy target. And you.”
'But why are you saying that?'
I swallowed my rebellious feelings and faced Dante.
"I think you misunderstood. I'm not crying... I'm just a little tired. As you said, the wedding preparations were harder than I thought."
Dante, who had been staring blankly at me as I spoke calmly, blurted out.
"I guess so. You're a bride with two grooms-to-be."
"..."
"While we're on the subject, Lopez."
Dante suddenly took a step closer.
The man standing right in front of me now lightly grabbed my chin and whispered softly.
"When do you plan on wrapping up one?"
My gaze, which had been forced to stay still because my chin was raised, wavered slightly.
Why is that? Even though I was just receiving his gaze, I felt trapped.
I forced out my tight breath and opened my mouth.
“My plan hasn’t changed since I told you last time.”
I looked straight at Dante, hiding my trembling.
“The wedding with Lucas Pedegreen will go ahead as planned.”
To be precise, I'm going to 'step in'.
The wedding will go ahead as planned.
So that Lucas doesn't notice anything. So that he faces disaster unprepared.
Just like I did.
The members saluted in unison.
Their eyes were shining with solid trust.
I smiled as I left the opera house.
‘This went more smoothly than I thought.’
There were a total of thirty-three pieces of paper in my bag.
They were documents with the signatures of all the members of the Lopez Orchestra.
With this, I had the orchestra in my hands.
The prima soprano.
In other words, the female protagonist... should have been burning with passion in the practice room I had arranged for her by now.
I wanted to go see Rosalind, but I had other things to do today.
Standing in front of the Information Guild Yor, I took a moment to catch my breath.
‘I didn’t expect to hear from you already.’
This morning, I received a secret letter from Yor.
It was a red piece of paper with nothing written on it. Its meaning was ‘The request has been completed.’
“Ah! Welcome, customer!”
As I entered the building, this time it was not Leonard but the receptionist who greeted me.
The employee who showed me to my seat with a friendly attitude immediately started the briefing.
“We got the evidence much faster than I thought.”
The employee said as he unfolded a pile of developed photos.
I was speechless for a moment as I looked at the photos.
A man and a woman kissing in a deserted alley. A man and a woman are in close contact in the backyard of the Lopez mansion.
More than ten sheets of explicit evidence poured out.
“We will continue to investigate until the contract expires, but this is all we have gathered so far.”
I laughed bitterly.
This speed was not just a sign that Yor had good information.
‘That must mean Lucas and Elena are sticking around without paying attention.’
That meant that the two of them were making fun of me.
“And there’s another piece of information I found.”
The employee looked at me.
It seemed like he thought this news would hurt my feelings even more than these explicit photos.
“Elena Lopez... was visiting the pharmacy.”
“I see.”
I nodded lightly.
Women who had affairs with the wrong men often visited the pharmacy.
It was to get birth control pills.
“I’m not even married, and I’m already having a child. My life is over, sob!”
I remembered Elena sobbing in Lucas’s arms.
I swallowed the memory and said calmly.
“It seems to be for birth control. If I could get a prescription, I could use it as evidence that Elena was seeing a man.”
“No... It was actually the opposite.”
The opposite?
When I looked at him with a puzzled look, the employee continued carefully.
“Elena Lopez was prescribed pills to help her get pregnant.”
***
I slowly left the building.
Elena had been trying to get pregnant from that moment on. That fact lingered in my mind, never leaving.
It had been planned from the beginning. Everything from deceiving me to seducing Lucas and getting pregnant with his child.
The moment she cried pitifully at Lucas, saying that she had ended up having his child...
On her sunken face, she must have been hiding a joyful smile, thinking that she had finally achieved her goal.
“...”
I opened my lips. A sigh or a laugh escaped me.
A very small, slight possibility.
Elena might have fallen in love with Lucas so much that she couldn’t resist his seduction...
That ridiculously slim possibility was completely shattered.
‘Come to your senses. Ariana Lopez.’
I clenched my trembling hands into fists.
‘If you were going to indulge in sentimentality now, you shouldn’t have even started.’
The day I came back from the dead, I swore that I would give back as much as I received, even if it was an illusion, and then close my eyes.
So I decided not to waste time on things like sadness and despair.
That decision was still valid.
I wouldn’t waste time pouring out my emotions on things that weren’t even human. I wouldn’t waste my life, my life that could be taken away by a capricious God at any moment, on such things.
‘So, keep walking.’
I shouldn’t stop and keep moving. I shouldn't be staggering around in a place like this.
That was the thought I had as I forced myself to take a step forward.
“Usually, brides-to-be are so busy before their wedding that they don’t even have time to breathe.”
I held my breath at the voice piercing my ear.
“It’s reassuring to see you here.”
“...”
“It seems like my bride has time to take a walk down the alley.”
Was this what it meant to be so shocked that your heart almost dropped to your toes?
I barely managed to hide my agitation and turned around.
A man with a huge presence that didn’t seem to fit in with the narrow alley was smiling like a painting.
“Your Excellency the Duke.”
I opened my mouth, doubting my eyes.
Your Excellency the noble Duke and a back alley? Just when I thought it seemed like an odd combination, like a bad joke...
My eyes met with the head of a man Dante was holding with his right hand, standing awkwardly.
“...Your Excellency. That man?”
The man’s eyes were already bruised and bloodshot as if he had been squeezed so hard that it seemed to burst.
I looked at the man, who was trembling so much that he looked pitiful, and asked, and Dante answered lightly.
“The rat that followed you around.”
I opened my eyes slightly wide and Dante smiled obliquely.
“You didn’t know you had a tail?”
I had no idea.
Someone was following me, and Dante even found out and beat up the culprit, but I was surprised that I didn’t notice at all.
Maybe that’s because my mind was completely consumed by thoughts of Elena.
“You should be more careful.”
Dante warned me and looked at me.
“A young lady who seems to have been raised well is an easy target. And you.”
I thought it was a rather unfamiliar modifier, but Dante smiled brightly.
“You’re entangled with a big shot.”
...I didn’t even need to ask who the “big shot” was referring to.
It was the first time I’d seen someone call themselves that, but since they were my opponents, I didn’t think it was shameless.
I looked at the man shaking like a rat in Dante’s grasp and became lost in thought.
‘I hid my face every time I went to Paradise, but the last time I stopped by, I attracted so much attention that someone might have recognized me.’
If that had happened, someone might have sent someone to me.
‘I should have been more careful.’
The mansion was full of untrustworthy servants now that Sophie was gone, so I came alone, but next time I should bring a mercenary.
I nodded slightly.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful with my behavior from now on.”
When I admitted my mistake, Dante raised one eyebrow.
Then he pulled up the man’s hair that he was holding and whispered a few words in his ear.
“Yes, yes..!”
The frightened man nodded repeatedly and disappeared in a hurry.
Silence fell over the alley where only the two of us were left.
Dante broke the silence as if nothing had happened and strode toward me.
“So.”
My chest tightened strangely even though he had only taken a single step closer.
While I was thinking that, Dante said,
“Why were you crying?”
My heart stopped for a moment at the unexpected question.
'You were crying?'
Me?
I instinctively felt my eyelids, but there was no moisture.
Of course.
I'm not a weakling who would shed tears just because I got stabbed in the back of the head again by a kid who had already betrayed me once... I should be.
“You’re entangled with a big shot.”
...I didn’t even need to ask who the “big shot” was referring to.
It was the first time I’d seen someone call themselves that, but since they were my opponents, I didn’t think it was shameless.
I looked at the man shaking like a rat in Dante’s grasp and became lost in thought.
‘I hid my face every time I went to Paradise, but the last time I stopped by, I attracted so much attention that someone might have recognized me.’
If that had happened, someone might have sent someone to me.
‘I should have been more careful.’
The mansion was full of untrustworthy servants now that Sophie was gone, so I came alone, but next time I should bring a mercenary.
I nodded slightly.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful with my behavior from now on.”
When I admitted my mistake, Dante raised one eyebrow.
Then he pulled up the man’s hair that he was holding and whispered a few words in his ear.
“Yes, yes..!”
The frightened man nodded repeatedly and disappeared in a hurry.
Silence fell over the alley where only the two of us were left.
Dante broke the silence as if nothing had happened and strode toward me.
“So.”
My chest tightened strangely even though he had only taken a single step closer.
While I was thinking that, Dante said,
“Why were you crying?”
My heart stopped for a moment at the unexpected question.
'You were crying?'
Me?
I instinctively felt my eyelids, but there was no moisture.
Of course.
I'm not a weakling who would shed tears just because I got stabbed in the back of the head again by a kid who had already betrayed me once... I should be.
'But why are you saying that?'
I swallowed my rebellious feelings and faced Dante.
"I think you misunderstood. I'm not crying... I'm just a little tired. As you said, the wedding preparations were harder than I thought."
Dante, who had been staring blankly at me as I spoke calmly, blurted out.
"I guess so. You're a bride with two grooms-to-be."
"..."
"While we're on the subject, Lopez."
Dante suddenly took a step closer.
The man standing right in front of me now lightly grabbed my chin and whispered softly.
"When do you plan on wrapping up one?"
My gaze, which had been forced to stay still because my chin was raised, wavered slightly.
Why is that? Even though I was just receiving his gaze, I felt trapped.
I forced out my tight breath and opened my mouth.
“My plan hasn’t changed since I told you last time.”
I looked straight at Dante, hiding my trembling.
“The wedding with Lucas Pedegreen will go ahead as planned.”
To be precise, I'm going to 'step in'.
The wedding will go ahead as planned.
So that Lucas doesn't notice anything. So that he faces disaster unprepared.
Just like I did.
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