~Chapter 41~
“You wrote better than I expected.”
“Huh?”
Aisha blinked, completely dumbfounded. Killian frowned slightly as he continued.
“You picked a good subject… and aimed at the right target.”
Honestly, Killian hadn’t expected this much from her. Up until now, the Aisha Ashton he knew was—well, to put it bluntly—a woman full of madness in many ways.
But this issue of Sunday’s Exposé was completely different from anything that had come before. Even at a glance, it was obvious. Aisha had clenched her teeth and written this article with all her strength.
And unlike before, it wasn’t just filled with gossip, nor was it some favor-piece written to benefit someone else.
Aisha was genuinely furious.
Furious at Roselia, who lacked the qualities to be an Empress Dowager. That was why she had written something like this.
“I thought you only wrote crazy articles, but I guess that’s not entirely true.”
“…You’re not angry?”
Aisha asked, still looking dazed.
“I thought you’d tear me apart.”
“To be honest, it’s not that I didn’t want to.”
“……”
“If the Killian Winters Special No. 6 had been published properly, things would have balanced out. Too bad… I almost regret it.”
Clearly, the trouble she had caused him still lingered like a trauma.
‘Petty bastard.’
He’s still milking that?
Of course, Aisha didn’t say that out loud.
“But anyway, what can you do. So… are you planning to keep writing articles about Roselia?”
The sudden question made Aisha freeze for a moment. She hadn’t expected that reaction.
“For now, I’ll see how people respond. Up until now, Sunday’s Exposé has only covered gossip, so this is basically the first time it’s touched politics. I need to watch how it develops. Whatever you think, Duke, sales matter to me. If the paper doesn’t make money, I can’t keep publishing.”
“And if the response is better than expected?”
Aisha’s mind spun quickly.
‘Honestly, this really does suit me better.’
Watching Roselia’s behavior had made her furious. Writing those articles targeting her and the nobles around her had been a way to pour out all of that anger.
It hadn’t been easy, but… it had been fun.
Like landing a solid hit on the villain.
After all, there was a reason she had made her name as a political reporter before ending up in this novel.
“If the response is good, like you said, then yes. I’ll keep writing articles about Roselia.”
Aisha spoke slowly.
“More precisely, about Roselia and the group around her. If I do, the tone of Sunday’s Exposé will change. Of course, to keep our current readers from leaving, I’ll still cover society issues too. Maybe I’ll split them into separate sections.”
“Hm.”
Killian narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at her.
“It could end up being a far more exciting magazine. Politics and high society—the two things people are most obsessed with, and love tearing apart.”
“……”
“You might even gain new readers. People like me, who’ve fallen out of favor with the Empress Dowager. And when things settle, you could announce a secret address. Invite people to send in tips. Plenty of tongues are itching to spill secrets. All you’d need to do is check the facts—no need to waste time managing informants.”
Yes. Gossip about high society was easy to gather, but information on Roselia was another matter. People would hesitate to share it.
To protect informants’ anonymity, Aisha planned to keep changing the address. With Til’s help, that would be simple.
“……”
Killian said nothing, simply watching her as she talked endlessly about her plans.
Her violet eyes sparkled as if lit from within.
Had he ever seen eyes like that before?
Eyes glowing with a dream, shining like stars?
No… never.
‘Strange woman.’
Aisha Ashton truly was strange. She did things no normal lady—or even normal person—would dare to imagine. And she did them without hesitation.
But now, Killian knew. Her actions always had a reason.
And that reason was the complete opposite of Roselia’s way of thinking.
Her anger, too, came from that.
And so Killian realized something.
Ah… a person who moves with conviction shines like this. Like a jewel.
“But you should keep something in mind, Aisha.”
Killian spoke again.
“Even if Sunday’s Exposé suddenly shifts its focus to Roselia, if you create separate sections like you said…”
“If… if I do?”
“Then the very first article in the society section will be—”
“Everything About Killian Winters’ Fiancée, Aisha Ashton.”
“……”
“After all, you already wrote it. Would be a waste to throw it away, don’t you think?”
Killian smirked playfully, and Aisha shot him the most annoyed glare in the world.
Three days passed.
It was no exaggeration to say the entire Empire had been thrown into chaos. Even in the provinces, everywhere people went, they were buzzing about Sunday’s Exposé.
And of course, the capital was even louder.
Even nobles who had always dismissed Sunday’s Exposé as a cheap gossip rag began subscribing. Most of them were aristocrats who had turned against Roselia and the current Imperial Family. To them, the magazine—once nothing but palace flattery—had finally struck where it hurt. There could be no greater gift.
Until now, no publication had ever dared to target the Imperial Palace itself—let alone the Empress Dowager, the Empire’s absolute authority. But Sunday’s Exposé had done it.
Those who had been subscribers from the beginning boasted proudly, telling everyone how great the magazine was. Thanks to them, the paper spread even further, becoming the talk of the Empire.
Of course, not everyone was pleased.
“This is outrageous! Publishing an article like that—inside the Drakxion Empire of all places!”
“Exactly! That trashy magazine that only covered sleazy gossip suddenly turning political? There must be someone pulling the strings!”
“When you think about it, doesn’t it seem strange? Why would Sunday’s Exposé suddenly publish something like that? I can’t make sense of it.”
“Sense or not, that doesn’t matter. What matters now is catching the cursed publisher and their reporters.”
Inside the vast hall of the Emerald Palace.
The nobles, gathered together, all shouted in anger at once.
“But how do we catch them? If it were possible, they’d have been caught long ago. You all know, we tried before—but those damned Rune people interfered…”
“So you’re saying we should just sit here and take it? Who knows what the next article will say!”
“Easy for you to say, Count Brown. Since your name hasn’t been mentioned yet, of course you can be relaxed. But what about families like ours—like Baron Rozel’s, who received mining rights directly from Her Majesty the Empress Dowager? Or the Duke Dilsen family, holding the weapon monopoly? You can’t possibly understand our position.”
“That’s not what I meant. I only meant—!”
The hall was about to descend into complete chaos—
When Roselia, sitting in her jewel-encrusted luxurious chair, opened her eyes wide.
And at that small movement, the room fell instantly silent.
The same hall that had been loud with shouts was now drowned in icy stillness.
