~Chapter 66~
“But none of these guests were invited, were they?”
At Killian’s words, the children instantly fell silent, as if they had never been noisy at all. They still found him frightening.
Surprisingly, the one who broke the tense mood was Helen.
“Duke Killian!”
Jumping down from the sofa, Helen ran to him like a little chick and clung to his long leg as if hugging a tree.
Killian flinched—clearly not expecting this—but he did not push her away. He simply stood still.
“Thank you so much for helping us!”
“….”
“To repay your kindness, I worked really hard handing out the magazines today!”
“…I see.”
“Some adults looked at me and the others strangely and even said mean things… but it was fine. Because I was doing it for you and Lady Aisha!”
“Anyone who says cruel things to children can’t be normal.”
“Huh?”
Killian cleared his throat awkwardly, then hesitantly stretched out his hand. To everyone’s surprise, he scooped Helen up into his arms.
“Cien.”
“Yes.”
At once, Cien appeared and bowed her head. Killian nodded toward the children.
“Take them to the guest rooms and prepare a delicious dinner. These children worked the hardest today.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Go on, follow your friends now.”
“Thank you, Duke!”
Helen pressed her little hands together, bowed politely, then skipped off with the other excited children.
“So!”
Aisha, finally coming to her senses, rushed up to Killian and asked urgently:
“So, what happened?”
“….”
“Was our distribution too late? I wrote the article as fast as I could! Or was there another problem? Did Roselia lose her position? She had to, with so much evidence! What happens next? What about that cursed Duke Dilsen and Baron Crawford—”
“Calm down, Aisha.”
Killian waved his hand lightly as if to reassure her.
“Do I look calm to you right now?”
She snapped back.
“Do you know how worried I was? Why did you come back so late?!”
“Well…”
“I thought you might have been suddenly arrested! I even wondered what we should publish as the follow-up article if that happened!”
“No, I—”
“Do you have any idea how worried I was? Of course you don’t! If you did, you wouldn’t act like this!”
Killian quickly cut in.
“First of all, it was an amazing article. No one expected you to attack in such a way. Everyone’s dying to know who this ‘Bibi Bubblemouth’ is. It’s the best kind of publicity.”
“You’re seriously saying that now—!”
“And this is a conversation best kept between us. Because…”
“Good evening, my lady.”
Huh?
At the sudden voice behind Killian, Aisha’s head snapped around.
There stood Theorn, looking slightly embarrassed—alongside two middle-aged men she had never seen before.
“I am Valtrich Barttenbelk. It’s an honor to finally meet you.”
Valtrich Barttenbelk?
The imperial collateral line…? What is he doing here?
“And I am Baron Hayden. This is our first time meeting directly. It’s an honor as well—to meet the publisher of Sunday’s Exposé.”
Baron Hayden—the very one Roselia had tried so hard to win over to her side?
“I told you, let’s talk later,” Killian muttered, clicking his tongue.
“I-I think you’re misunderstanding… me, the publisher…?” Aisha stammered in a small voice.
“Didn’t you just admit it yourself? You said you were worrying about what follow-up article to release.”
“Yes, I heard it clearly.” Baron Hayden added. “But don’t worry. Your secret will be safe. We’re all on the same boat now.”
Me? I don’t remember agreeing to that…
Before she could protest, Killian moved faster.
“Let’s head to my office. That’s a better place for this discussion.”
In Killian’s study.
Killian, Aisha, Valtrich, and Hayden sat facing each other on the sofas, sipping the tea Cien had brought in.
But Aisha’s mind was a storm of confusion.
Damn it, I can’t even ask outright with them here. What’s really going on? Why is Valtrich—someone from the imperial collateral line, likely on Roselia’s side—here? And what did Hayden mean about ‘being on the same boat’?!
“Better we explain before the young lady collapses from stress,” Valtrich said.
“Indeed,” he continued, setting down his cup. “Yes, I am part of the imperial collateral family. So it’s natural for you to look at me with such suspicion.”
“…Suspicion?”
“Your eyes were full of doubt.”
“To be exact,” Hayden chimed in, “they said, ‘Why the hell is this guy here?’”
The two men answered at the same time.
“H-ha… that’s a misunderstanding. I just—”
“No, I understand. Everyone thinks the same.”
Valtrich took another sip of tea before continuing.
“I’ve been in contact with Duke Killian for several months now.”
“…In contact?”
Aisha turned sharply toward Killian, who spoke calmly.
“I expected something like this. A petty plan to strip me of my title through a council meeting.”
Who else could oversee and mediate such a meeting? Killian had guessed only one person.
Valtrich Barttenbelk.
“Duke Valtrich has always remained neutral. The same goes for Baron Hayden. Do you know what both of them have in common?”
“They’re the ones Roselia has been trying to win over.”
“Correct.”
Killian smirked. Aisha frowned slightly and turned to Valtrich.
“Then why did you side with the Duke instead of the Empress Dowager?”
