# 67
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When the driver suddenly stopped the car, Kenneth slowly crossed the Central Cathedral Garden.
He had once ordered a search of the Cathedral of Saint Colette.
It was suspected that, under the guise of a pious religious place, she might be using suspicious hallucinogens in the park.
But the investigation revealed nothing of the kind.
'So, who was that nun…'
Was he bewitched by an evil spirit?
What's more, after a mysterious dream, he began to feel increasingly certain that he had met her.
[The sinner who forced his wife to commit suicide]
In a dark room, as if the shadows of the furniture were visible when creased, he saw a moment he had never experienced before.
He was sitting leaning against the altar, and that nun was looking at him from above, a few steps away.
'No matter what I think, I've never met her before.'
However, there was a strange feeling that he had made a deal with her.
[This is a great injustice to…]
[Okay, Kenneth. But you will have to pay the price]
Kenneth ran a hand through his front hair, frowning. Born into a ducal family, he had never made a deal with anyone as an equal before.
Rather, he is now facing the Emperor himf with indirect threats, right?
So, the idea of asking a nun for a “deal” was beyond his understanding.
'Is this a side effect of stopping steroids?'
Anyway, this memory wasn't important.
The most important thing now is to resolve the confrontation with the empire and return to Port Elysia.
Making sure Ariana waited for him properly was the priority.
'If nothing happens, it's possible.'
The thought of the crown in the palace relieved his stress.
Although Ariana's lack of attempt to contact him via telegraph or phone was bothering him a bit.
When he returned to the palace, another assistant residing there rushed to him.
“Sir, breaking news!”
“Who is Elisia?”
“No, not that.”
He wished the news was from the south.
The assistant presented a confidential document with a trembling hand.
“The Crown Gazette and five other places are preparing to publish special reports on the Duchess. You should see the content... now.”
* * *
The rumors in the capital about the “one-day princess” did not stop even for a day.
A woman who lives lavishly despite being married to two rival men has always been fodder for newspapers that run out as soon as they are published.
The Duke family carefully managed any articles related to Ariana.
But this time, it was completely different.
It was a love letter in the name of the Duke's lady.
It was full of passion and enthusiasm.
It contained frank and imaginative expressions of passionate love between two lovers.
The worst newspapers in the capital cooperated to publish it.
The attack and ridicule were of course directed at Ariana Clifford.
They said that, after living off her prince fiancé, she was still admirably loyal. But this naturally made the Duke's family a target for ridicule.
Among these wolves, the Crown Gazette was the first and most aggressive to publish the article.
This newspaper was known for blackmailing victims into not publishing, demanding a “silence fee.”
Even the nobles, despite their hatred of these places, did not attempt to eradicate them.
Because, depending on the circumstances, they were benefiting from cooperating with it, they tolerated it according to the rule “good is good, even if it is bad.” But they believed that taking these lowly things seriously would tarnish the reputation of the nobility.
But in a luxurious office in the center of Lentia, something incredible happened: the young duke came face to face with the editor of the Crown Gazette.
Kenneth's assistants were keeping their mouths shut, but inside, they were sweating profuy.
‘We did not expect the Duke to intervene himf…’
It was extremely embarrassing for the subordinates that their boss had to deal with such a lowly place.
On the other hand, the editor-in-chief, fat and arrogant, was overjoyed.
'Haha, we caught the chance.'
The Crown Gazette received the initial report for this article. However, to avoid criticism of having a monopoly on exciting stories, it has cooperated with other places.
However, since the problem was in his hands, he believed that he could blackmail the young duke as much as he wanted!
“…This is rather surprising.”
Kenneth lowered his dark blue eyes.
On the table between him and the editor of the Crown Gazette was the manuscript of the problematic article.
“Writing an interesting article is a freedom guaranteed in the Empire, but to think of publishing a libelous article without proof...”
“Um, sir. That makes me feel insulted.”
The editor-in-chief took the opportunity and quietly placed the letter on top of the manuscript of the article. The paper had lace edges, a quality favored by noble ladies.
The letter was full of words and metaphors common among the upper class. It could have been written by any nobleman jealous of the duke's lady.
But the bigger problem was something else.
"Look at this. Evidence we obtained in secret. Doesn't the handwriting look familiar?"
"If it had been just a love letter, would we have approached it unknowingly? It details how the duke's lady, or rather, the one-day princess, helped the prince escape!"
Beneath the emotional sentences yearning for love, there was more important content. It was about the prince escaping on his wedding day.
On the day that Kenneth Clifford returned and revealed the details of what had happened to the Duke's family, an angry crowd gathered around the Imperial Palace.
However, the prince managed to brilliantly disappear.
It was assumed that he escaped through a secret passage known only to the immediate imperial family.
But the text of the letter that would be published in the article detailed how the “one-day princess” helped in his escape.
How could someone who wasn't in the palace during the wedding know these details so accurately?
This was a fatal betrayal of the Duke's family. Not showing gratitude for saving his life, and making ridiculous and arrogant statements.
“Um, but, don’t you think this will damage the reputation of the Clifford family…?”
“We are not yet printing only in the capital. If we have a constructive discussion before printing, we will be happy...”
While the editor was babbling unnecessary words out of greed, Kenneth was staring at the last line of the letter.
<…I'm just waiting for the day you come back. Please, get me out of here>
The handwriting was identical to a “Wednesday Dinner” card in his jacket pocket.
Any skilled person can imitate handwriting. There were many who wanted to insult Ariana and tarnish her reputation.
'Please, from here.'
However, that last line stuck in his mind because he imagined the voice of her, the one she swore she didn't love, whispering those words.
He felt her coldness even when he gave her the earrings, and her annoyance when she said, “Be well.”
If this letter was really written by her, what was she thinking?
Did she take advantage of his absence to ask someone else to save her?
...to run away together?
But as the editor-in-chief made his demands, and the assistants' breaths hardened with anger, Kenneth finally raised his head.
“Understood, Editor-in-Chief.”
“…!Haha, as I expected from Mr. Clifford, then, about the support-”
“From now on, we will investigate all sources that reached this newspaper, so this building must be closed.”
"What?"
“Inspect everything carefully. Start now.”