FCMD 12

Chapter 12

The reporters arrived a little earlier than the appointed time.

Calvin guided them into the drawing room.

Having set up their camera in front of the long sofa by the sunlit window,

the reporters were busily checking their equipment amongst themselves.

Calvin brought out tea, but they seemed to have no spare moment to pay any attention to it.

It was precisely at the appointed hour when the duke and duchess, who had recently become the talk of the town, made their appearance.

The reporters rose from their seats to greet the couple.

Aster Lilywood, whose name frequently graced the newspapers as a war hero, was a figure well known to the journalists.

However, they had never seen him like this before.

The man who always wore a scowl and possessed fierce eyes that looked ready to draw a sword at any moment was now politely escorting his wife, leaving the reporters wide-eyed in astonishment. Though his expression remained blank, his eyes no longer looked as if they were about to kill someone.

Furthermore, his neatly tied hair and impeccably tailored dark ceremonial attire suited him extraordinarily well.

It was almost impossible to imagine that he was the razor-sharp “Murderous Demon” who usually wore disheveled clothes and let his golden hair hang loose even on official occasions.

Who on earth could have transformed him so? It was only natural for the reporters’ gazes to shift to Lauren, who stood by his side. The journalists let out quiet gasps of admiration. Gloss radiated from her neatly styled black hair, and her dress—color-coordinated with the duke’s—was understated yet quiet and elegant. Upon locking eyes with the reporters, the beautiful duchess smiled, fine-tuning the subtle curves of her light violet eyes.

The reporters hurriedly presented business cards stamped with their newspaper names in front of Aster. As Aster observed them with an indifferent gaze, Lauren reached out to gather them. She then looked at the reporters’ faces, confirming their names.

“Thank you for taking the trouble to come all this way. I imagine you have many questions. Please, sit down.”

A fresh tea set was arranged on the low table. The reporters exchanged glances before carefully lifting their teacups.

Aster, watching them with faintly furrowed brows, leaned back against the long sofa as usual, while Lauren took a sip of tea and set her cup down.

“I don’t particularly enjoy wasting time, so let’s get straight to the point. I assume you have all read the article published in Gossip Bridge. I intend to issue a correction for that article.”

“Are you saying you wish to publish a correction piece through our agency?”

One of the reporters raised a hand to ask. Lauren pulled the corners of her mouth slightly into a smile.

“I believed our representative had already informed you of that.”

“Ahem, I merely wished to confirm.”

There was no chance that Reti, the Duke of Lilywood’s competent aide, had failed to communicate the details properly.

Did they think they could look down on her just because she was leading the conversation?

Aster’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the reporters. Although Lauren had told him to just stay quiet, he thought he might have to resort to threats if push came to shove. It was better for someone like him, who already had a bad reputation, to step in for such things anyway.

Of course, he intended to behave himself for a while as Lauren had requested, though he had no idea how long he could hold out.

“Shall I start by introducing myself first, then?”

The reporters opened their notebooks. Lauren made eye contact with each of the three reporters one by one, offering a smile. If it were her usual self, she might have looked like an easy target, so she used a smile she had practiced diligently after watching Aster laugh—lifting one corner of her mouth slightly higher than the other. It had looked quite decent when she practiced in the mirror, but she wasn’t entirely sure how it looked now.

“My maiden name is Lauren Sears. I am the daughter of Baron Emel Sears, an administrator at the Imperial Palace.”

The Cold-Blooded Administrator. Someone muttered under their breath. Lauren smiled with satisfaction. Her father was famous precisely because he was entirely immune to bribes. Whether swayed with money or threatened with power, he was a cold-blooded man who never budged—that was the evaluation of her father.

Yet, it was the nobility and the privileged class who called him that; among the local residents and commoners, he was highly renowned as someone who helped ensure no one suffered injustice. Recognizing his worth, the Emperor had appointed Emel Sears to major posts. To her, such a father was always a source of pride. Thus, Lauren welcomed even the moniker “Cold-Blooded Administrator” with pleasure.

“Oh, I am pleased to know someone remembers my father.”

“He is not someone easily forgotten. Losing Baron Sears was a great loss to the Empire.”

The reporter, bowing his head respectfully, posed another question to Lauren.

“May I ask how you met Duke Lilywood?”

Expecting such a question, she had prepared an answer in advance. As prearranged with Aster, Lauren stated that she had once treated his injuries during a bandit suppression operation in the southern territory. Since she did not attend social circles, neither knew who the other was at the time, but she found out later when Aster’s aide came looking for him.

How they continued meeting, how she felt when Aster went off to the battlefield—the reporters’ questions kept coming. Some were anticipated, others were not. Nevertheless, Lauren did not so much as twitch an eyebrow, nonchalantly spinning her web of lies.

With arms crossed, listening to her calm, unshakeable voice, Aster felt a wave of admiration. She was a bold, remarkable woman. Her methods of releasing information and crafting stories were exceptionally brilliant. Hiring her to fill in the gaps had definitely been the right decision. She seemed capable not only as an administrator, but also in information warfare. Aster sincerely thought it was a relief to have Lauren on his side.

“Why did you forgo a wedding ceremony?”

“Because my parents passed away not long ago.”

“Ah… I am truly sorry.”

Lauren lowered her gaze, her thick eyelashes trembling softly. Without realizing it, Aster placed his hand over hers and patted it reassuringly. The reporter who had asked bowed his head in apology, but the other reporters’ pens were moving furiously. Well, it wasn’t intentional, but somehow it worked out for the best. Lauren firmly squeezed his hand back. This level of chemistry was turning out quite well, wasn’t it?

“During such a difficult and lonely time, Aster… oh dear, excuse me. The Duke was a great source of support for me.”

She did not forget to casually slip in his first name on purpose. Aster’s brows furrowed as he smiled. In truth, he was chuckling wryly at Lauren’s audacity, but seeing the quickened pace of pens scratching against paper, it seemed the reporters interpreted it differently. Articles would surely come out saying that even the “Murderous Demon” duke had a human side. It was obvious without even looking. Even while he laughed internally, questions and answers flew back and forth frantically.

“You mentioned you plan to sue the newspaper and the informant who published the false article. Have you identified who it is?”

“Of course.”

Lauren laughed aloud as if stating the obvious, then lifted her teacup to take a sip. The reporters looked a little anxious at the deliberate pause she created. Her control over the pace was masterful.

“Someone had the nerve to speak carelessly in front of me just because we didn’t hold a wedding ceremony. I imagine the person in question will know who they are with just this much said. If they come to apologize in person within a week of the article’s release, I might consider forgiving them.”

Something like that happened? Something had occurred in his estate that he, the master, was unaware of. This was not a matter he could simply overlook. Even if Lauren forgave them, he could not. A surge of annoyance washed over him. Aster, leaning back on the sofa, crossed his legs. Lauren’s light violet eyes rolled over to glance at him, seemingly giving him a warning sign. Honestly, sitting here so quietly did not suit his temperament at all, but Lauren was asking far too much of him.

“Thank you for allowing us to conduct this interview, Madam. We will draft the article based on what you have shared today after our internal meeting.”

Lauren nodded. At the mention of taking a final photo, one person stood up from their seat and began adjusting the camera. Watching it with curious eyes, Lauren suddenly recalled something important. She needed to mention it before she forgot.

“Once the article is finished, please send it to the ducal residence first. We need to release it to other newspaper agencies as well.”

“We were under the impression that you were giving our agency an exclusive…”

“My goodness, we must have communicated this from the very beginning. Didn’t you accept the offer knowing that?”

“Ah, well, that’s because we couldn’t afford to miss out on the story…”

The representative reporter openly scowled, unable to hide his displeasure. My, my, quite bold in front of a murderer, aren’t we? Aster, smirking with one corner of his mouth raised, uncrossed his leg and kicked the table. With a loud BANG, the teacups on the table fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.

A sharp gasp of caught breath reached his ears, followed by Lauren’s voice calling his name in a scolding tone. As if his mood wasn’t bad enough already, Lauren wouldn’t even let him vent his frustration. Guys like this only listen when you teach them a lesson, Aster grumbled discontentedly in his head.

“I believe a substantial amount was paid for your cooperation and for rushing the article out. Is the money insufficient?”

His chilling voice flew toward the reporters. He called it cooperation, but his tone suggested anything but. He held no sword in his hand, yet his gaze alone felt capable of killing a man. Indeed, the title “Murderous Demon” hadn’t been attached to him for nothing. What broke just now was a teacup, but next time it might be their heads. Feeling a threat to his life in those narrowly slit green eyes, the representative reporter hurriedly shook his head.

“N-No, not at all! We will handle it exactly as you requested.”

“I do hope a satisfying article comes out of this.”

The air in the drawing room froze. A grim, predatory smile appeared at the corners of Aster’s lips as he tilted his chin up. The reporter preparing the camera announced, trembling uncontrollably, that everything was set. Lauren subtly shook her head. Scaring them like that wouldn’t help get things done properly. Even though she had explicitly told him to stay still, Aster had ended up causing a scene in the end.

Well, to be honest, it was somewhat refreshing. She had felt that no matter how much she tried to lead and command the room, things weren’t flowing smoothly—likely because she was a woman. Lauren swallowed a sigh. No matter how much Aster supported her, she was ultimately held back by that reality.

“Lauren.”

Aster called her name in a low voice. It seemed her deflation had been too obvious. Lauren forced a smile toward Aster. She wanted to tell him she was fine, but she wasn’t sure if the message got across.

The reporter stood behind the camera. Straightening his posture, Aster turned his gaze toward the lens. Lauren also took a deep breath, relaxed her stiff expression, and pulled up the corners of her lips.

“Lean.”

Aster whispered to her. For a moment, her mind went blank, unable to process his words. Lauren turned her head to look at him. Aster’s heavy, deep green eyes were gazing down at her.

“Aster?”

“On me. Lean on me.”

It wasn’t a difficult request, but she had no idea why he was saying such a thing. Ah, was he trying to act like a close, affectionate couple? If so, there was no reason she couldn’t do it. Lauren gently leaned her head against Aster’s shoulder. Would this make them look like a loving couple? For some reason, smiling didn’t feel as difficult as it had just a moment ago.

Behind the camera, the reporter began counting down to press the shutter. Three seconds left—something soft touched her head. It was only after the photo was taken that Lauren realized Aster had leaned against her, too.