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~Chapter : 13~
. Blatant and Provocative
“I usually get it in the afternoon. There’s a delivery route. Why? Do you want to see the young lady?”
“Is there any way to get it faster?”
“You could go out and buy it. Want me to fetch it for you?”
“Yes, please. I’d appreciate it.”
It was rare for Ellis to ask anyone for a favor. What could a noble lady possibly need from her maid?
That was why Regina was thrilled. She finally had the chance to be of real help to Ellis.
“I’ll be back like the wind!”
Regina rushed out in a gust.
Left alone, Ellis locked the bathroom door tightly and undressed.
“Ah…”
A groan of dismay slipped between her teeth as she looked in the mirror.
As expected.
Karan, who behaved far more courteous than Bedrokaine in daily life, would always turn into someone else entirely in bed.
Ellis looked down at the mottled marks on her skin and stepped into the bathtub.
Since her regression, everything had gone smoothly. It was as if the goddess of fortune herself was on her side.
“Today I’ll know for sure.”
Ellis intended to uncover the true owner of the Alley Cat Times. Out of three suspects, one of them was bound to have written about her in today’s paper.
“Who could it be?”
Her anticipation swelled.
The following afternoon, Ellis stepped into a small teahouse in the city.
The dimly lit shop was nothing like the places noble ladies usually preferred.
It wasn’t near the busy districts either, so when Ellis suggested it, Regina had asked several times if she really had an appointment.
Now Ellis had been waiting for thirty minutes. Regina tilted her head and asked,
“You really do have a meeting, right?”
Yesterday, after reading the Alley Cat Times Regina had brought her, Ellis had been certain of the publisher’s identity.
She immediately wrote her a letter.
If the woman had received it, she would definitely show up today—if only to deny the accusation.
‘She’ll come even if it’s just to claim she isn’t the one.’
Ellis trusted her instincts.
“Of course, Regina. If you’re bored waiting, you can go wander around the city for a bit.”
“No, my lady. How could I leave you here alone?”
Though the place was safe, Ellis let Regina do as she pleased.
Instead, she gave her maid a seat elsewhere to rest comfortably—also to loosen the other party’s guard.
“Order whatever you want.”
“But I should stay at your side…”
“You sitting here makes me more uncomfortable.”
Reluctantly, Regina moved.
Once Ellis confirmed that she’d shifted to a table further away, she lifted her teacup.
That was when a shadow fell over her.
‘Finally.’
Judging by the timing, her guest must have arrived earlier but held back because of Regina.
It was a good thing Ellis had moved her.
“For a journalist, I’d think punctuality would be a very important virtue.”
“It’s a duty. But more important than that is security.”
A smile spread across Ellis’s face, reflected in her teacup.
With a soft clink, she set it down and rose to her feet, extending her hand.
“Welcome, Miss Debois Highbris. Or should I call you the publisher of the Alley Cat Times instead?”
“So you’re convinced I’m the publisher?”
Debois shot back sharply as she took Ellis’s hand.
After a brief handshake, she sat across from her.
“I didn’t think you’d still deny it after coming here. Just earlier, you yourself were lecturing me about journalistic principles.”
“I came here precisely to clear up your misunderstanding. Principles are obvious enough that anyone could say them.”
“Well, if that’s how you see it. This might take a while—shall we order some tea first?”
Ellis signaled a waiter. Debois ordered a hot peppermint tea.
“Why exactly do you think I’m the publisher of the Alley Cat Times?”
Debois asked her question even before the tea arrived, impatient.
Ellis calmly poured milk into her cup and stirred. Her leisure only deepened Debois’s frown.
“Feeling nervous, are you?”
“Me? Why would I be?”
“Exactly. Writing isn’t a crime. So why look so on edge?”
“Listen, Ellis—”
“You’re shaking your leg. And picking at your lips.”
Ellis rummaged through her small handbag, pulled out a handkerchief, and handed it over.
“You’re bleeding.”
Debois glared, but accepted it and pressed it against her mouth. Sure enough, blood stained the fabric.
“Here’s your tea.”
The waiter arrived at the perfect moment.
Ellis waited patiently as Debois sipped, calming her nerves.
‘She’s even more sensitive than I expected.’
Indeed, writing wasn’t a crime.
But no one could be completely free of moral responsibility.
Especially a gossip rag like the Alley Cat Times, which often touched on delicate matters.
That meant plenty of enemies.
‘If Debois hadn’t written about my fling, she wouldn’t be in this mess.’
The paper occasionally ran exposés as well, landing nobles with fines.
At least a dozen people probably wanted revenge against the publisher.
‘It’s only natural she’s cautious. In this world, it’s the guilty who make the biggest fuss.’
Ellis understood her position, so she softened her tone.
“I’ve read every issue from the first to today’s. And I discovered the publisher belongs to several social clubs: Madame Etoile’s flower-arranging society, Smith’s riding club… and she’s been invited three years in a row to Prince David’s birthday celebrations. But never to Prince Chase’s.”
“That describes more than one person.”
“Exactly three. You, Debois. Then Patricia. And Jasmine.”
Debois lifted her gaze.
“Don’t tell me that tea party was—”
“Yes. It was to find out who publishes the Alley Cat Times. At that meeting, I dropped a few stories worth printing. Did you see today’s issue?”
“I did.”
Though she herself had written it, Debois answered as if she were simply a reader. Ellis was almost impressed by her brazenness.
The latest paper had run part of what Ellis had revealed at that tea.
Under the title ‘Ladies’ Secret Conversations’, it read like a short story, but Ellis immediately recognized her own tale about her first kiss woven into it.
Anyone else might miss it—but she knew.
“Then you understand why I’ve singled you out.”
“I don’t follow.”
Was she pretending not to know? Or truly clueless?
If it was an act, Ellis could applaud the performance. If genuine, she’d be disappointed.
She exhaled. If Debois kept denying it, she’d just corner her until she couldn’t anymore.
“Patricia would never write anything flattering about me—her dislike was obvious that day. As for Jasmine, she wasn’t interested in my story at all. Or rather, she was interested only in what clothes I wore when it happened. If she were the publisher, the entire article would’ve been about outfits and accessories.”
Debois bit her lip.
“Shall I hammer in the final nail? The handwriting.”
“The handwriting would clearly be different.”
At that, Ellis smiled knowingly.
That very reply was practically an admission.
Realizing her slip, Debois sighed.
“Fine. I am the publisher of the Alley Cat Times. So what? Do you expect me to confess before society and beg forgiveness?”
“Of course not.”
“Then do you mean to threaten me into shutting the paper down?”
“Why would I?”
“Because the next article…”
Debois trailed off.
She had received a secret tip before coming here—about Ellis herself.
It was such a sensational scoop she’d been torn about whether to print it.
Not out of concern for Ellis, but because if it turned out false, the backlash would be dangerous.
Especially since royalty was involved.
“Whatever you write about me, I don’t mind.”
Ellis didn’t even know what it was.
Debois’s lips parted, then closed again. Better not to mention the tip.
“So. You must want something. What is it?”
For three years Debois had published the gossip sheet alone. She had endured things no ordinary noblewoman could imagine.
She didn’t need to shrink away now. She lifted her chin proudly.
“Nothing in particular. I just wanted to give you some information.”
Debois narrowed her eyes.
If there was one truth she had learned from this work, it was this:
Nothing in the world came for free.
Not from informants, nor from printers, nor from the boys who delivered the papers.
People didn’t act out of simple goodwill, curiosity, or justice.
There was always give and take. Otherwise, trouble followed.
“Trust me.”
So she does know about the tip.
Debois relaxed slightly.
“Hah. So this is your roundabout way of telling me not to print it. Let me just ask one thing. That rumor about you and Prince Tetris—was that a lie?”
“It’s true. Please make sure to publish it.”
“…!”
Cracks spread across Debois’s expression.
Her shock was delightful, so Ellis smiled sweetly.
“If it’ll make you feel better to take it as a request, then please write it blatantly, provocatively. Consider that my favor to you.”
Debois’s jaw dropped.
