~Chapter 89~
“Y-Your Majesty… the Emperor…?”
What was happening right now? Aisha couldn’t believe it.
Even for Aisha, this was something she never imagined could happen.
Hans Dworik was Belmore?
Since when? From the beginning?
“You seem very surprised.”
Unlike Aisha, who was in shock, Belmore smiled calmly as if nothing unusual was happening.
“You don’t need to worry so much, Lady Aisha.”
Is this guy crazy? How am I supposed to not be shocked in this situation?
…This was a memorable moment when Belmore Ellington, her favorite in the original story, officially became “crazy.”
“I was a subscriber since the early days of ‘Sunday’s Exposé.’”
“Isn’t that right?”
Belmore smiled kindly, but Aisha couldn’t smile at all.
“Since when did you know my identity?”
“About what?”
“That I was Vivi Bubblemouth. And why did you subscribe to ‘Sunday’s Exposé’? The royal palace always hated my magazine. Even the Empress Dowager wanted to destroy it.”
She really couldn’t understand it.
Or… was that the reason?
“You seem to have a lot of questions.”
“Won’t you answer them?”
“Of course. Since you were brave enough to come here, I will tell you what I know.”
Belmore spoke slowly.
“I was the first person to notice when ‘Sunday’s Exposé’ started publishing, not the Empress Dowager.”
“You might be surprised, but even a so-called puppet emperor hears things from everywhere.”
“I never thought ‘Sunday’s Exposé’ would become this popular. But things turned out differently, and I started to wonder—how far can this reporter go?”
Belmore stepped closer to Aisha.
Looking down at her, he said,
“Would someone with this much information be satisfied with just writing about light gossip in society? My answer was ‘no.’”
“And I was right.”
He’d been thinking that way from the start? Aisha was shocked at how sharp Belmore was.
Was he always like this in the original story?
The Belmore Aisha remembered was kind and warm. Maybe the author only showed that side. In any case, he was never written as someone this calculating and dark.
Just like the real Kilian Winters was so different from the original, maybe Belmore was the same.
Now, the Belmore standing in front of her felt like a total stranger—kind, warm Belmore Ellington had never existed at all.
“I found out you were ‘Vivi Bubblemouth’ before ‘Sunday’s Exposé’ got this big.”
Belmore continued without hesitation.
“Back then, it was still early, so there were a lot of holes. To be exact, it was before the ‘Kilian Winters Special’ came out. You probably didn’t think you had to be that careful yet.”
Now it all made sense. In the early days, she hadn’t been that cautious, and Rune didn’t trust her yet, so they didn’t protect her like they did now.
“Is that enough of an answer, Lady Aisha?”
“No, I still have one more question.”
She looked nervous but stared at Belmore. He smiled, signaling her to continue.
“What is the ‘suggestion’ you wrote in your letter? What do you want from me?”
“As I said, it’s just a suggestion. I think it will benefit you more than it hurts you.”
He continued,
“Your father, Count Ashton, is very greedy for power.”
He wasn’t wrong. In the original story, her father did everything to make Aisha marry Kilian for his own gain.
Even now, he was rushing for the engagement ceremony.
“Maybe you’re just like him? I hope so.”
“What do you mean by that? Please explain—!”
“I know the relationship between you and Duke Kilian Winters is fake.”
“You must have gotten caught after releasing the ‘Kilian Winters Special.’ Since being the center of attention is bad for Kilian, he used you as a shield.”
Even Grand Duke Baltric and Baron Hayden didn’t know that. How did Belmore know?
Then,
“Lady Aisha, I’ll give you the position of imperial concubine.”
What?!
What did he just say?
Aisha stared at him, shocked, as if she’d been hit on the head.
But Belmore kept speaking, his face calm as ever.
“Become my concubine, Lady Aisha.”
He said it as simply as if he were just greeting her good morning.
