Presenting Hell (3)
Inside the shaking carriage, I stared out the moving window, lost in thought. How much of today's work went according to plan, and whether it would have the desired effect on my future plans. My mind was busy with such thoughts.
A low voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Did you have fun?"
I turned around and met Dante's eyes, arrogantly crossing his legs on the other side. When I saw Dante in the square, I was actually as surprised as Lucas.
"I didn't know you would come to pick me up. Thank you."
"The last time you were out alone, you got slapped in the face."
Instead of an answer, I heard a different story.
"This time, I heard some ridiculous verbal abuse."
Dante clicked his tongue and looked at me with cold eyes.
"I thought you said it clearly? Whether it's fake or not, you're going to be my wife."
"..."
"Don't put yourself down."
The low voice warned clearly.
"That would be the same as putting me down."
Thump.
My heart sank for a moment. Even though I knew that Dante was referring to the title of Duchess, not Ariana Lopez. But whatever it was...
'This is the first time.'
It was a word I had never heard before. Telling me not to lower myself because lowering myself was the same as lowering him. No. Maybe it was something I had heard from my grandfather when I was very young.
"Your honor is the same as my grandfather's honor. Your heart is the same."
"So don't dare let anyone hurt you or your heart."
"Then your grandfather's heart will be torn apart."
....Enough. I shook off the thought of my grandfather that had come to mind after a long time and moistened my dry lips. Then I meekly apologized.
"I'm sorry. When Lucas said those things, I thought it was all good because it would all come back to him as arrows."
There were many people around Lucas and me. Lucas lowered his voice, but some of those standing nearby must have heard it. The verbal abuse he was spewing at his ex-fiancée certainly wouldn't work in Lucas' favor. Especially considering Lucas's scandal that would soon flare up.
"But Your Highness, you're right. I'll be more careful next time. And thank you again for helping me today."
"You're being too grateful."
"Huh?"
"Shouldn't I have told you to use .e more shamelessly? That way..."
Dante tilted his upper body slightly and curled the corners of his mouth.
"I'll feel less guilty when I use you."
"..."
As he suddenly approached, his unique scent lingered in my nostrils again. I instinctively pulled back as much as he approached. The irregular heartbeat felt unfamiliar. I pretended not to feel any agitation and answered in a businesslike voice.
"Even if you say so, I've never done anything for Your Highness."
"Don't worry about that."
Dante added with a smirk.
"You'll be able to do whatever you want after you get married."
My eyes widened.
"..."
Thump, thump.
My startled
heart started pounding wildly. Things I'll be able to do after I get married...
I naturally thought of something like that.
'But, something like that. That person wouldn't be able to...?'
While I was lost in confusion, it suddenly occurred to me that I looked like a frog that had been hit by a rock thrown in jest. The person who had actually thrown the rock was leaning back against the backrest and staring out the window. As if he had no interest in my agitation.
"..."
I clenched my fist and turned my head out the window. Thinking that if the person who made that bombshell statement was acting like that, I wouldn't show any signs of agitation either.
Just then, the carriage arrived at the Duke's residence. Dante, who had gotten up first, turned to me as he got out of the carriage.
"Lopez."
Then he blurted out with his mouth crooked.
"Your face is red."
"..."
"Is it because you're an artist? It seems your imagination runs wild."
I almost shook off the hand he extended to escort me.
***
The next day. I woke up early and a simple breakfast was delivered to me along with today's newspapers. I picked up the papers with a pounding heart.
'I can't wait.'
<Secret Whispers>, <Love and Betrayal>, <The Double Life of That Young Lady>.
Last night, I sent gifts to three of the most active gossip magazines in the capital. Photos that I had selected showed Lucas and Elena's faces particularly well. Now that I've left the prey, the experts will do the cooking.
As soon as I opened the front page, a flashy headline caught my eye.
Marquis Pedegreen, mysterious relationship with soprano Elena Lopez is discovered!
Next to it, the photo I sent was displayed as if it were a flashy decoration. The article continued below.
[On the 29th, the Marquis of Pedegreen, who caused a stir by being called off at a wedding hall, was actually known to have been in an inappropriate relationship with another woman before that, causing a stir. It was even discovered that the woman was his fiancée's younger sister...]
A headline that caught my attention and a provocative article that followed. Even photographic evidence supports the article's content. It was a perfect trinity.
I smiled broadly after seeing the satisfactory results. The article came out cleaner than I thought. I liked the tone of the article, which was concise and provocative, summarizing only the main points.
I looked up to check the newspaper and suddenly froze.
"Empire's Morning?"
It wasn't <Secret Whisper>, <Love and Betrayal>, or <The Young Lady's Double Life>. <Empire's Morning> was the most authoritative newspaper in the capital, known to be subscribed to by not only high-ranking nobles but also the royal family. It was only natural that its influence was enormous...
'I didn't even send a tip here.'
<Empire's Morning> goes through a rigorous fact-checking process for each and every article source. The fact that it doesn't report anything unless the facts are completely confirmed or a case is vouched for by a reliable witness is also the reason why this newspaper can maintain high reliability.
However, I didn't want the article to be published late because I was checking the facts, so I didn't include it in the list of senders...
'No way?'
I held my breath when a name suddenly came to mind. I quickly got my face and clothes ready, and as I left the room, I ran into the butler Oren who was passing by in the hallway.
"Oh, butler. Can I see the Duke?"
"The master is in the office."
"Thank you."
I headed to the office, holding <Empire's Morning> tightly in my hand. As I was about to knock on the office door, my eyes widened slightly.
'The door is open.'
I cast my gaze through the gap in the door. A sight I had already seen once came into view. Carefully scanning the inside, I soon came across an unexpected sight.
'Ah...!'
My eyes slowly widened.
***
Odd things happened all over the capital.
"Our lies are white lies..."
A servant who was washing dishes found herself humming a song.
"Even when my friend is next to me, umm, umm."
A noblewoman who was savoring tea absentmindedly recited the lyrics, then was startled and mumbled.
"If love is a sin, then I'm in prison for life..."
A melody was so easy that you won't forget it even after hearing it once. At the same time, the melody was strangely addictive and wouldn't leave people's mouths.
"Oh my, stop singing it. It keeps lingering in my head!"
Those who heard the repeated humming complained of pain, but soon the melody spread to them like an infectious disease for which there was no cure.
"In the garden, in the hallway... Oh, damn it! It spread to me too!"
The next morning after the stage. The citizens of the island who opened the <Empire Morning> out of habit opened their eyes wide.
"Hmm?"
The Minister of State, who had opened the front page expecting news of international affairs, doubted his eyes.
"Oh my."
The noble lady dropped the newspaper in surprise at the explicit photo.
"Oh my, how outrageous!"
The ladies who had gathered in the salon and were looking at the newspaper together covered their mouths and read the article frantically.
<Empire Morning> was the newspaper with the highest subscription rate on the island. The island was instantly enthralled by this provocative news.
"Did you see it?"
"Of course I did. Oh my, the photos are really scary. They're so explicit!"
"Who would have thought that the virtuous Marquis Pedegreen would do something like that?"
"And the other person was Miss Elena? The soprano who's been on the rise recently!"
"The most shocking thing is something else. If Miss Elena is the one, then the Marquis had an affair with his fiancée's family, right?"
"How shameless!"
Salons, coffee houses, social clubs. Wherever people gathered, the front page of the Empire Morning was always the talk of the town.
"I didn't know that, but I sympathized with the Marquis of Pedegreen. What a shocker, his fiancée running off with another man at the wedding."
"But now I see that the victim wasn't the Marquis of Pedegreen."
"His Majesty must have known about this, too."
The islanders spent their time fantasizing over and over again. But their interesting afternoon didn't end there.
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