Translator: Nox

Chapter 62

“Listen, they say someone actually saw the Duke of Battenberg on that ship!”

As Rosalyn delivered the news, her eyes didn’t look the least bit excited. In contrast to her voice, which felt somewhat staged, her gaze remained eerily calm.

To a stranger, it would have been impossible to believe she was the same lovely lady who, just moments ago, had been waving her hand with cheeks flushed a delicate pink. Vanessa hesitated for a second, struck by the dissonance.

“The person who spread the rumor says they’ve seen the Duke’s face up close a few times. They’re whispering that he boarded the ship wearing a standard uniform, just like the regular sailors.”

“A regular uniform, not even an officer’s? Why would the Duke bother doing such a thing?”

“Opinions are divided on the reason. Some say he did it for a secret alliance with the Prime Minister, others guess it was purely for business. And then some crazy people say…”

“Shh, Rosalyn. People will hear you.”

Rosalyn, who had been raising her voice and counting the reasons on her fingers, burst into a clear, ringing laugh at the protest. Looking closely, her flushed face wasn’t from joy or excitement, but something closer to agitation and anger.

It was as if she had suffered a terrible insult somewhere. The image of her lips trembling as her forced smile crumbled was still vivid in Vanessa’s mind—even now, a full week later.

“Vanessa. Aren’t you curious what the last reason is?”

Vanessa couldn’t remember exactly how she had answered that question. At that moment, the sun had begun to rise over the horizon, and the crowd gathered on the deck had erupted into a collective gasp of awe.

In that chaotic interval, it hadn’t been easy to focus entirely on the conversation. Especially when it concerned a subject she had no interest in. At her indifferent attitude, Rosalyn had asked again with a strange expression.

“You don’t seem very interested in the Duke.”

“Of course not… I’ve never even met him. So, whatever he did, it has nothing to do with me.”

At the somewhat blunt reply, Rosalyn stared at her blankly before letting out a hollow laugh. Relief slowly spread across her stiff features. It was as if she had completely forgotten how angry and aggrieved she had been just moments before.

“Right? There’s no need to pay any mind to a man like that.”

Back then, Vanessa had simply thought Rosalyn’s shifting reaction was cute. Even though she knew her friend wasn’t one to enjoy spreading unconfirmed rumors, Vanessa hadn’t had the mental energy to think much deeper than that….

Of course, even if she had caught on to the nuances of the subject then, nothing would have changed. However, she might have been able to soothe her friend’s anxiety a little more. She could have been more considerate of Rosalyn, who had clearly gone off to get angry on her behalf somewhere because she couldn’t bring herself to ask Vanessa directly.

[Exclusive! Duke B. Decides on Massive Investment in the South! The Price is a Woman?]

Vanessa’s fingers tightened around the one-pence daily newspaper.

…As such, it appears he will be actively involved in the establishment of the South’s largest racecourse. This directly contradicts the investment trends Duke B. has shown thus far. While the surface justification is the promotion of balanced regional development, according to our investigation, it seems certain that a secret contract was made with Earl E. The speculated price is Miss V, the niece of his business partner and a young lady of a prominent family who reached adulthood this year….

Most of the inside story that followed was either false or exaggerated, but the problem was that by playing around with initials like ‘B’ and ‘V,’ it read convincingly enough.

Of course, this wasn’t an article published in a reputable paper like the Ingrian or the Linden Daily. Nevertheless, a single line in a gossip rag favored by maids could sometimes have a much greater impact.

The proof was already evident in the changing attitudes of the maids who served her….

‘They must believe what’s written in those gossip columns.’

Vanessa folded The Tabloid and placed it atop the mountain of printed media. There were fourteen publications in total, including women’s weeklies, monthly magazines, and gossip rags. How had things come to this?

‘In reality, I haven’t even seen the man’s face.’

Of course, a scandal in itself wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, she would have welcomed it with open arms.

‘If only the scandal didn’t involve a specific person.’

Originally, the plan for the shipboard party was only to scatter vague sightings like mist. She wanted the resulting subtle disregard, the contempt, and the stigma of being a woman perhaps too flighty to maintain the honor of a household. But of all things.

‘Speculated as the price for an investment….’

The scale of the scandal, which had grown beyond her control, left her feeling utterly lost. At this point, it was almost a relief that the name Battenberg had been mentioned. As long as that family was involved, no man would dare covet her. But that was merely a temporary stopgap.

What if the direction of the scandal took an even more horrific turn? For instance, if next week’s issue claimed the Duke had lost interest in the woman he ‘bought with money’…. The mere thought made the world turn dark.

‘From then on, those kinds of people really will start approaching me. Men who buy women for a night in bed.’

Would her uncle, who was trying to make a fortune by selling her off in marriage, protect his niece’s honor in that situation? Would he resist the temptation of money and guarantee her safety to the end? One thing was certain: before she had discovered the will, she would have been foolish enough to trust him.

Now, she was in a position where she had to hope the Duke of Battenberg’s name would stick to her for a long, long time. Vanessa buried her pale face in her hands as if to vent her stifled heart. How on earth did such a grand rumor get started….

“Miss.”

Vanessa looked up from her worries. Mary, looking just as exhausted as her mistress, carefully raised her voice while covering the mouthpiece of the telephone.

“There’s a call for you from Linden. I think you should take it.”

“Linden? Is it from Rosalyn?”

“It’s a gentleman. He said if I told you it was Logan, you would know….”

“Ah.”

Vanessa stood up, trying not to show her disappointment. It was a bit strange. A boy whose only connection to her was a few conversations on the ship was calling her out of the blue. Given the timing, it would be best to avoid outside contact as much as possible, but considering he was the one who had connected her with his granduncle, it felt wrong to refuse him bluntly.

Vanessa took the receiver from Mary.

“Hello? Logan Dawson?”

—Vanessa. I finally got through. The operator must be new; they kept fumbling the connection.

He let out a sigh over the line.

—Did you get home alright back then?

“Yes. Though it’s already been a week since the ‘back then’ you’re talking about. Thank you for checking.”

—I guess you made it back safely. Your name is all over the tabloids, but it sounds like you haven’t lost your spirit yet.

At the relief evident in his voice, Vanessa let out a light sigh in spite of herself. It was closer to a smile made with effort.

She hadn’t been able to reach Rosalyn for days, and the burden of pretending to be fine while carrying this enormous situation alone was beginning to wear on her. She pressed her fingers against her stinging eyes and brightened her voice.

“What is it?”

—About when we talked last time. It kept weighing on my mind because it seemed like you really didn’t know anything.

You’d better steel yourself. She felt like she finally understood the meaning of those words. Vanessa gripped the transmitter tighter.

“Logan Dawson. Did you… did you know rumors like this would start even then?”

—I knew a scandal involving the Duke would break in the South. When I saw your necklace, I had my suspicions.

“How on earth did I end up being the one mentioned in such a scandal?”

—Rumors about a railway and a racecourse coming to the South have been circulating for a while. Everyone was saying that if the Duke really decided on an investment of that scale in the middle of nowhere, it had to be a woman. It explained why he suddenly chose the South for a vacation and went into hiding. Then, starting from the departure ceremony, the reporters were treating it as a near certainty.

“You knew all that from the beginning?”

At those words, Logan Dawson burst into unexpected laughter.

—You really have zero interest in me, don’t you, Vanessa?