Presenting Hell (4)
That afternoon, famous gossip magazines such as <The Young Lady's Double Life> and <Secret Whisper> also poured out extra editions as if they couldn't keep up.
The song in question, is 'The Aria of the Adulteress'. Was it actually an accusatory play?
[The lyrics of 'The Aria of Adulteress' were revealed to be based on the composer Ariana Lopez's autobiographical experiences, causing shock. The full lyrics are as follows...]
The follow-up article caused another uproar in the system.
"The Aria of Adulteress? Are you talking about the aria that was performed yesterday at the Madeleine Square?"
"Yes, that song with a great melody but bizarre lyrics!"
"Oh my, all those lyrics?"
"Wait a minute, wait a minute. What were the lyrics? Oh, they're all written in the article."
"In the garden, in the hallway, in a friend's dressing room...? Oh my, my God!"
"A dressing room?! Oh my! How outrageous!"
The system was turned upside down.
"Master. Marquis Rainer has arrived."
Butler Oren announced politely. Just as Dante raised his head, an unauthorized guest strode in.
"Are you satisfied?"
Elias Reiner, who had asked that out of the blue, slumped down on the sofa. A boyish expression filled the Duke's face.
"Thanks to you, the system has been turned upside down."
"Congratulations."
Dante glanced at Ellas and then turned his gaze back to the desk. His pronunciation was slurred due to the cigarette smoke.
"The circulation must have exploded."
"..."
Elias wanted to refute the claim that <Empire Morning> was a newspaper that could not lose its undisputed number one position even without scandals, but he simply kept his mouth shut. It was true that today's sales were so incredible that they were higher than the combined sales of the past two months.
As the owner of <Empire Morning>, it was something that made him smile. However, there was something on his mind that prevented him from being completely excited.
"You mean."
Elias decided to be honest.
"I think you've been a little crazy lately."
When the author, who was smoking with an indifferent face, stumbled into the office of the president of <Empire's Morning>, Elias doubted his eyes.
When he heard the voice of the arrogant devil offering good news, he doubted his ears... When he confirmed the identity of that 'good news', he was truly shocked.
Elias nodded his head as he recalled that time and said again.
"Hmm. You is definitely not in your right mind."
The first time he thought that was when he heard the news that the Duke of Heisenberg had leisurely left the wedding hall carrying some other man's bride. At the time, he thought it was a ridiculous story.
However, surprisingly, Dante really did kidnap the bride. And he brought her into his house. The tycoons were going crazy trying to find out what was going on between Dante and the bride.
"Anyway, I definitely published the special article as you asked. As you can see, the impact."
"Yes."
Dante lifted the corners of his mouth, holding the coffee cup between his lips.
"This should be enough as a wedding present."
The corners of his mouth were clearly a smile. Elias was silent for a moment.
"Who are you?"
The Dante Heigenberg he knew had been sick for the past six months. People talked about how brilliant his major was, how great his victories against the brutal barbarians were, and how brilliant his future would be after beating his brothers and finally becoming a Duke, but Elias knew that the subject of all those rumors was actually suffering from a serious illness.
An illness called boredom. Strictly speaking, the symptoms seemed to have started around the time of the triumph. He impulsively gathered singers and gave them the grand name of Paradise, but at some point, he let go of all management. As a result, Paradise, contrary to its name, had degenerated into a somewhat decadent and lawless zone.
"Maybe it was because he had achieved too many big goals in a row."
He had won the long war and, based on that achievement, had even overcome the flaw of being an illegitimate child and taken the title of Duke. It was a time when an ordinary person would have experienced the utmost joy, but Dante felt rather helpless. Like someone who had climbed the stairs only to find that there was nothing but empty space above. Elias couldn't understand that kind of feeling because there were too many fun and interesting things in the world.
However, he was worried that his bad friend, who had been his friend since childhood, was sinking into a swamp of boredom at an untimely time.
'But, what the heck.'
As if mocking his worries, Dante was leisurely swimming in the middle of the most interesting scandal in the empire these days.
'By the way, a wedding present?'
"... Are you really going to get married?"
Everyone knew how persistently the Princess had courted Dante for the past six months. If she had been a little more forceful, she would have gotten down on one knee and proposed. The one who had no choice but to reject such a Princess and choose a Countess, who had a fiancée!
'Of course, she seemed like an interesting lady, but...'
Elias almost burst out laughing as he recalled the silhouette of the woman he had seen slapping his brother's head a while ago.
"You're talking nonsense."
Dante said with a twisted mouth.
"If I weren't planning on making her my bride, why would I steal someone else's bride?"
'... Who is that really?'
Was it because his boredom had deepened to the point where he had finally gone crazy?
Elias spoke in a serious voice, seriously contemplating.
"Let us be the sole editor of your wedding article."
"As you wish."
***
The clear sound of a bell rang through the shop. The employee measuring the dress, the lady trying out the lace on her body, and the servant serving them all turned to look at the door and frowned at the same time.
"Hello."
Elena smiled tremblingly amidst the pouring glares. People used to turn their heads away. As if nothing had happened. Elena, who had bitten her lips slightly, soon controlled her expression and went inside with a bright smile.
"Oh, Lady Olivia."
Olivia frowned slightly when her name was called.
"The lace suits you so well. It seems like your complexion is bright."
"... Ha."
Olivia opened her fan with an irritated gesture and covered her face. Elena gritted her teeth at the blatant rejection.
'This damn girl...!'
Just a week ago, Olivia had invited Elena to her salon. She had even added a request that she must come. The popular and beautiful soprano was a popular guest at salons and balls. There would be a war of nerves between parties over who could invite more popular singers.
'Not long ago, I was worried that I would go to my rival's party...'
"Is that her?"
"Yes. She seduced my sister's fiancé..."
The staff began to whisper, glancing over Elena. They were whispering as if they were telling her to listen.
"Our lies are white lies so we don't get caught... Did she really say something like that?"
"Oh my, how shameless."
Elena's fingertips trembled. After discovering that horrible article on the front page of <Empire Morning>...
No. After discovering Ariana sitting in the first row of the audience in front of her stage, Elena felt like she was walking through a nightmare. This can't be happening. It felt like the palace she had painstakingly built had collapsed in one night.
The moment she realized that even the most beautiful nobles were all men, Elena felt as if she had discovered the secret of the world. Captivating people, especially captivating men, was so easy for her. Using her talent to become the best soprano and hide the entire system under her skirt was not just a fantasy. In fact, it seemed like that goal would be achieved soon.
However, all the friendly gazes toward her had now turned to hostility.
'No. This can't be the end.'
She was still young and beautiful, even though the scandal had only just broken out once. Her skills were still the same. Some say that scandals are actually an essential virtue for a star.
'Yes. This is all... just a one-time ordeal.'
Elena imagined herself after overcoming this ordeal. A beautiful soprano with a devilish charm, who even wore fatal scandals as decorations, naturally came to mind.
It was the moment when Elena regained her composure as she imagined the future that seemed so close to her. "Are you Elena Lopez?"
"!"
Someone was calling her. And with an honorific. Elena looked back, her heart pounding loudly.
"Yes, I'm Elena."
"Ah, you're right."
The face of the woman who smiled awkwardly became familiar.
"I've definitely seen that face."
Was it the Baron's daughter? Or a countess?
Elena was going through the faces of the nobles in her head when an unexpected word came out of the woman's mouth.
"I'm an employee working at the Celine costume shop in the next block. The store manager was wondering when you'd be picking up the dress that Elena had tailored a week ago."
The woman wasn't a noble. She was an employee of the shop where Elena's measurements had been taken. About a week ago, she remembered that she had gotten two dresses from Edward, who was in the midst of a luxury spree in the joy of having sold out.
"I could deliver them to you, but I haven't received the payment yet... When... would that be possible?"
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