# 42
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Ian raised his head as he leafed through the documents.
“His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Yes. The princess’s birthday is approaching, and he seems to have many questions for you both. You should get ready.”
“So the rumors circulating among the nobles after the visit of the Duchy of Brilloz have already reached the imperial court.”
It wasn't unusual for the Emperor to be overly concerned for his half-brother, and now, with the Princess showing interest in Eloise, it wasn't surprising.
“This will be annoying.”
Ian nodded, rubbing his forehead.
“I understand. I'll keep that in mind.”
“Then please process the documents by the end of this week.”
Kyle, who had bent down and was about to leave the office, suddenly stopped and turned his head slowly.
“Your Highness, may I say one thing?”
“Since when did you need my permission to speak?”
Kyle smiled, unaffected by Ian's sharp comment, and said,
"No matter what, be more honest. Stop being stubborn."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Oh, come on, you know exactly what I mean. Anyway, I think you two look good together these days."
“Kyle Elzer.”
“Oh, your expression is terrifying. I better leave before I get into trouble.”
Before Ian could respond, Kyle bowed rudely and disappeared, closing the door behind him with a small click.
Ian frowned as he stared at the door, which closed with a soft scraping sound.
“He's getting ruder by the day.”
It was indeed a skill, if we could call it that, to maintain such an attitude towards the Grand Duke that he could make others tremble with just a look.
Ian glanced at the cube thing on his desk that he was covering with his hand.
"Be honest? About what, exactly…?"
He stopped his silent mutterings when Eloise's face unexpectedly appeared in his mind.
Lately, he found himf thinking about Eloise a lot.
Most of the time, he spent thinking about her strange actions or intentions, which were impossible to decipher.
Even though she talked about divorce and finding someone new, she still claimed that she loved him with teary eyes.
He couldn't figure out how to define her feelings or his growing anxiety for her.
“But still...”
“Your Highness, you should wear it for me, for my sake.”
“Getting out… wasn't so bad.”
With a complicated expression, Ian picked up the cube object and placed it in the second drawer of his desk.
“…I've been thinking about unnecessary things again.”
For a while, the only sound in the office was the rustling of papers.
❖ ❖ ❖
The weekend, which was full of outings, has passed and the beginning of a new week has arrived. Finally, Arya's newsletter reached me too.
"my lady!"
Fifi entered the room fluttering, holding the newsletter in one hand.
She usually brought letters and papers on a silver tray, but today she only carried the newsletter.
'If you think about it, she always forgets something when she's excited.'
I decided to ignore it because she was cute. Vivi, who had come to the front of my bed, lit up with a bright smile.
“There you are!”
“Is this today’s bulletin?”
“Yes, I was so eager to bring her to you that I went to the main gate myf.”
“There was no need to go that far.”
“But I thought there might be an article about you and the gentleman again this week.”
After accompanying me on my outing last weekend, Vivi seemed to have suddenly taken an interest in my relationship with Ian.
I wondered why she was so interested, but on the other hand, seeing two people who had lived like complete strangers for two years suddenly going on outings together with a chaperone must have been interesting.
After all, stories about other people's love affairs are the funniest.
Of course, Ian and I weren't actually in a romantic relationship.
Smiling as usual, she took the flyer from Vivi.
“Let's see then.”
The front page of this week's newsletter included a different article.
'The jewel war between Marquis Merry and Count Olsen!'
"Hm? What is this?"
The article described under the bolded title how two prominent noble families of the capital were in a dispute over a mine.
The conflict continued, and the imperial family proposed that both families share parts of the mine, but neither side was willing to concede, and the standoff continued.
'Well, the rich have their problems too.'
This is how it is with the rich.
As it was the morning the newsletter was published, the opinion section below was quickly updated.
-Oh my God, are they still fighting about this?
-Wow, this is relentless...
-Didn't His Majesty the Emperor suggest that they reach an agreement?
-I heard that Count Olsen is particularly stubborn.
-The truth is that what is mine is cursed with a terrifying spell that sucks your soul out just by looking at it. If you want to get rid of the curse, visit No. 1 Eyldis Street….
-Can't they do something about these ads in the reviews section?
The place was crowded as usual, like a print market. Amidst the chatter, there was a lot of talk about “Count Olsen’s family,” but the tone towards this family seemed somewhat unfavorable.
‘Count Olsen’s family… seems familiar somehow….’
I nodded, then shrugged.
'If I can't remember right away, it must not be a very important family.'
If that's the case, I'm not interested.
She put aside the nobles' bickering about their wealth and leafed through the newsletter. That wasn't what mattered now.
‘There has to be an article about me and Ian….’
Muttering to myf, I skimmed through the newsletter until my gaze stopped on the main article on page three.
“Of course, here it is.”
In the middle of the third page, in the largest print, there was a headline about the Grand Duke and his wife.
"The Ghost of the Grand Duchy? Or Cinderella?"
“What an exciting title.”
Looking at all these attention-grabbing headlines, I realized why this newsletter was such a hot topic among the nobility.
Things that oscillate between freshness and exaggeration are always funnier.
As expected, the article below contained what I expected.
The article said that Ian and I appeared with unusual affection in Lylton Street, strolling through all the shops.
The article mentioned that the Grand Duke and Duchess visited a bookstore, shared a sweet moment while reading a book, and that the Grand Duke even volunteered to carry the Duchess's purchases….
'Everything is going according to plan.'
I read the article with a satisfied smile.
Especially in the last paragraph, the article detailed what happened in the shoe store with great precision – from Ian holding my hand when we walked in to him personally placing the shoes on my feet.
“…Finally, the sight of the Grand Duke placing the shoe on the Grand Duchess’ foot in Bello’s shoe store was less like the Duke of Ice and more like the Duke of Sugar! Where will the lovers’ new shoes be taken next?”
'Duke of Sugar, seriously….'
I laughed to myf after reading the last sentence.
'It's weirdly corny, but it makes you curious about the next article.'
If they had written a novel with this kind of skill, it would have been a success.
-Look, what did I tell you? What happened at the season party was real.
-So, are you saying that the Grand Duke and the Duchess have always had a good relationship?
-It is possible. What you see isn't always everything, you know?
-Anyway, I'm jealous. Where can I find a man like him….
-Even if he was there, he wouldn't be my man.
-Now I'm really looking forward to the princess's birthday banquet. I have to see them with my own eyes.
-It will be a great sight~
I checked the reviews section and smiled with relief.
Unlike the previous article, which focused on my return to society, this article emphasized Ian's warmth and charm.
Maybe that's why the comments section was full of people passionately discussing Ian.
'At this rate, there's nothing else to add, really.'
I was confident that this topic would not be just a one-off gossip that would die down.
‘A fair number of people would like to see us at the princess’s birthday banquet….’
Above all, it was clear that interest in Ian was growing.
As much as I hate to admit it, people go crazy when a cold and aloof guy suddenly shows a tender side. Remember those posts online about “100 Reasons Why Bad Boys Are Attractive”?
If this atmosphere continues, public opinion of Ian may change more easily than I expected.
‘Above all, even me….’
“So, ma’am, are you planning to go somewhere good in these new shoes?”
“I asked you if you were planning to go somewhere nice. Whether it was a nice house or a nice person.”
'Oh my God, why does this scene come to my mind now?'