Translator: Nox

20

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What surprised Aileen the most was Michele's gunshot. Aileen pressed her hand against her chest. Her heart was pounding wildly because of the gunshot.

Michele blew on the smoking gun muzzle and turned to Aileen triumphantly. He was looking for praise. Unfortunately, Aileen was so out of it that she could barely hold onto the doorframe, let alone praise him.

"Aileen!"

Just then, a woman burst through the crowd. The shawl she was wearing on her head fell off, and her luscious blonde hair glittered like gold dust in the sunlight.

"Le, Lena?"

Surprised, Aileen stammered her alias, and Malena furiously struck the soldiers blocking her path with her delicate hands.

"I have Archduke's Erzeht's approval! And I'm Aileen's acquaintance!"

Aileen quickly approached Michele, who was standing in the garden.

"Sir Michele! I know her. Please let her in."

"Of course, I will. Is there anything else you need?"

Michele, grinning, was as normal as ever. He was acting as if nothing had happened despite the commotion, which made her even more confused.

"I was... going to go grocery shopping..."

"Ah, grocery shopping. Give it to me."

Instead of taking the shopping basket, Michele placed a chocolate in Aileen's hand.

"I'll buy something delicious. Go inside and play with your friend."

Aileen was pushed back into the house with Malena.

"......"

The door clicked shut, and the two stood in the hallway in silence for a moment. Aileen offered an awkward greeting first.

"Good morning, Lena."

Then Malena retorted sullenly.

"Just call me Malena. You know everything now anyway."

"Ah, Malena."

Aileen smiled bashfully as she corrected herself, and Malena suddenly looked like she was about to cry. Her rich cat-like, haughty face was contorted in a sob, making Aileen feel awkward and heartbroken. Aileen placed her hand on Malena's arm and asked.

"How did you get here? Is something wrong?"

"Yes. Of course, there is, so I came!"

Malena handed Aileen a newspaper. The headline emblazoned on the newspaper caught her eye.

[Grand Duke's Marriage… Partner is Aileen Elrod]

"Huh...?"

Aileen made a dazed sound. She had heard the people gathered in front of the house talking about marriage earlier. But too many people were shouting at the same time, so she couldn't understand properly.

'The news that I'm getting married has been made public?'

The newspaper Malena brought was La Verita, a newspaper company that published only articles with a moderate tone and close to orthodox reporting. It was also a newspaper company that was said to be pro-imperial.

Aileen took the newspaper and read the articles one by one, her eyes and mouth widening more and more.

"Is it true?"

Malena asked again with anxious eyes.

"Is it true that you're marrying Archduke Erzeht, Aileen?"

Aileen stared blankly at Malena before answering a beat late.

"Yes..."

It was true. She had visited the Grand Duke's Residence yesterday to meet Cesare, and she had agreed to marry him at his words.

But she never expected the news of their marriage to be splashed across the newspapers in just one day. And on such a grand scale.

It was already a situation where articles about Archduke Erzeht were published in the newspapers every day since the Triumphal March. La Verita was relatively decent, but the tabloids were a mess.

The clothes the Grand Duke wore, the perfume he used, the food he liked... They published all sorts of trivial stories as articles. They even put together a special feature on Cesare's hobby of playing the piano.

However, even while thoroughly digging into Archduke Erzeht's private life, they did not publish any articles about Aileen. The story that the Grand Duke cherished the daughter of the nanny who raised him was quite famous, though.

It was as if an invisible hand was holding the newspaper companies in check, and no newspaper mentioned Aileen at all. No one came to harass her, saying they wanted to interview her.

Of course, the so-called 'Lily Affair' that happened during the Triumphal March and the 'Bloody Banquet' that took place at the victory celebration banquet were all published as articles. However, the fact that the young lady involved in the incident was Aileen Elrod was not revealed at all.

How tenacious the reporters were. The reason they were well aware of Aileen but had left her alone until now was because they were afraid of the Grand Duke.

But today, Aileen's existence was revealed to the world. What that fact indicated was clear. Cesare himself had declared his marriage to Aileen to the Empire.

Aileen read the word 'marriage' written in the newspaper several times. Looking at the word that felt awkward no matter how many times she read it, she realized her situation, where there was no longer any place to run.

She was really going to marry Cesare without a doubt.

"Give me your hand."

Aileen, who had been spacing out, came to her senses at the sharp voice. She held out her right hand, and Malena hit her chest as if frustrated and shouted, "Your left hand!" Aileen quickly switched hands and held it out.

Malena checked the empty fourth finger of her left hand and tilted her head back sharply. She squeezed her eyes shut and suppressed her anger, but the look in her eyes as she looked at Aileen again was no different from that of a lioness.

"You didn't even get a ring?"

"Ah, that's..."

Aileen answered, shrinking back.

"I didn't get one..."

"Archduke Erzeht can buy as many rings as he wants!"

She raged at why she hadn't even received a proposal ring from the Grand Duke, who could have given her diamond rings with stones so large that they would spin around on all ten fingers.

Aileen glanced at the bedroom where her father was and soothed Malena.

"Malena, please lower your voice a little..."

"Hmph. Sorry. Now that I think about it, there are reporters outside."

The reporters were outside the garden, so there was no way they could hear her voice. But she was worried about her father, so she left Malena's misunderstanding unresolved.

"Aileen. No, Lady Elrod."

Surprised by the polite words, Aileen waved her hand.

"You can just call me by my name."

"...I didn't know you were a noble. I especially didn't think you were the child Archduke cherished."

"I didn't know Malena was a dancer either."

Malena laughed like a sigh. Aileen laughed along with Malena.

Malena was special among Aileen's guests.

When she first came to Aileen's lab, she was suffering from the aftereffects of an abortion. Malena smiled faintly, saying that her bleeding wouldn't stop.

"I heard you're good. Do you have a medicine that will let me die painlessly and beautifully? I'll pay you whatever you want."

Then she threw a heavy money bag in front of Aileen. The gold coins that poured out onto the table were endless.

Aileen stared at the gold coins for a moment, then took only one and silently organized the money bag. Then she returned it to Malena and asked.

"Do you like hot chocolate? That's all I have to drink."

Aileen quickly made a cup of warm hot chocolate and handed it to her. Malena, who had been handed the hot chocolate cup without realizing it, stared at Aileen with a dumbfounded look. But she liked the warmth that was transmitted from her hand and the sweet scent that rose from the cup, so she sipped the hot chocolate.

"I'll make you the medicine you want. But it'll take some time."

"How long?"

"Hmm... About a month. But you have to come here for a checkup every three or four days."

She said that it would take that much time and effort to make a medicine that was perfect for her. Then, as she took the empty hot chocolate cup, she added.

"Get a proper medical examination from a doctor too."

She explained that she had to be healthy to die beautifully. Malena believed Aileen's words. When she thought about it, it didn't make sense, but she was so mentally weak at the time.

With the thought of becoming the most beautiful corpse in the Empire, she got a medical examination from a doctor and visited Aileen's lab once a week. Every time she went to the lab, Aileen briefly checked Malena's condition and gave her delicious snacks.

After getting snacks a couple of times, she started buying snacks to share with Aileen on her next visit. New cakes and cookies from famous bakeries in the Empire, fruit-flavored candies imported from foreign countries, and all sorts of luxurious desserts.

Every time Malena bought various snacks, Aileen liked it like a child. Malena quite enjoyed seeing that cute side of her. In addition, she also had a subtle sense of competitiveness, because Aileen didn't seem surprised no matter what snacks she gave her.

It was as if she had already eaten the expensive desserts that a poor pharmacist could never afford. Naturally, she became suspicious.

'Is she spending all her money on snacks?'