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chapter 55
I don’t view divorce negatively. Since it’s a vow shared by two personalities, it’s natural to think it can be broken in the future.
“Then why?”
“Miss!”
Clara’s sudden shout made me turn around. She came running toward me, holding a newspaper with an excited face.
“This is today’s newspaper!”
“Who’s on the front page?”
“Who else?”
Clara was the first to hear about my successful proposal yesterday. With a mischievous smile similar to before, she spread the newspaper wide.
“It’s our estate’s adorable Miss Koala Light and Duke Gray!”
My cheeks burned red as I skimmed the newspaper Clara had opened. The pages she showed were the front and last pages, both filled with stories about us.
“Now everyone knows about your and Duke Gray’s marriage! All the citizens of this empire!”
“You’re right, Clara! Everyone now knows that Grace and I will legally be married soon!”
My previously restless emotions surged. Laughter bubbled up naturally, and my hands trembled slightly.
Marriage. What is marriage? It’s an act of claiming that each person is the most influential in the other’s life. It’s a declaration that Grace is my first priority and I am his first priority.
Maybe that was enough, or maybe all the jumping around finally made the fatigue fade—I wasn’t sure. Rationally, it was still unfamiliar territory, but I savored the sudden joy.
‘The chance of being trapped in a complicated, pointless, emotionally draining love quadrangle is now significantly lower. Perfect!’
I don’t know about Mille, but now that our relationship is confirmed, Whistler won’t be able to impose their tyranny.
“Ah!”
Clutching the newspaper tightly, I suddenly raised my head. A new delightful thought came to mind.
“Clara, now’s the time.”
“Now? What do you mean?”
“Now is the time to sell the newspapers we bought.”
Clara’s eyes sparkled fiercely. Lowering her stance, she looked braver than any assigned reporter.
“Bind the newspapers like a novel and sell them. That way, managing inventory will be easier.”
“What about the price?”
“5 gold.”
“…Are you serious about 5 gold? If it’s too high, people won’t buy it.”
Even if we bound 20 newspapers together, 5 gold was an incredible bargain. But I had calculated the rarity of the newspaper and our influence before announcing it.
“They’ll buy it.”
Now that our marriage news was out, everyone would want to read our love story. Most newspapers, meant to be consumed the same day, were likely thrown away or used as cleaning materials. In that sense, our newspapers were rare.
“Newspapers are made to be easily accessible. That’s why the price is low. And most people don’t read every article. They skim what interests them and close it.”
The newspaper we were selling wasn’t just a simple paper.
“It’s still a newspaper, but its selling point is different. It’s rare. People can find past articles that are no longer easily accessible, and they can see the story of Grace and me, built up over several months, all at once.”
Keeping a newspaper purchased and stored on the day it came out added to its uniqueness. Objects naturally gain value over time.
“Those who want it will buy it, Clara.”
We didn’t have thousands of copies. When demand is high and supply is low, the price naturally goes up.
“Don’t worry, let’s move quickly.”
“Let’s go, Miss!”
Clara, more excited than I was, spun around. Instinctively, I grabbed her shoulder.
“Don’t forget the conditions.”
“Of course! I’ll stay by your side even if I become rich! And if I leave, only after finding someone as capable as me to replace me!”
A slave contract was something no human should sign, so I had prepared the best possible solution. Seeing Clara’s smile erased my worries, and I moved forward energetically.
I needed to stay calm, but the thought of making money made my steps light. I could feel myself walking faster than usual.
‘Wedding funds are sorted.’
Grace had showered me with countless gifts just for fun. Since it was his unilateral action, I didn’t owe him anything in return.
But at some point, I became curious about what fun there was in showering gifts on one person.
“What kind of gift should I get Grace?”
Something he’d like, or if not, something practical. Once we had money, I could buy something to satisfy him.
Just thinking about it made me feel like that day would be the best day ever.
“Ah, Miss, and this arrived today! It wasn’t a letter brought by the Duke’s servant.”
I opened the letter with Grace’s name on it and handed it back.
“You can handle it.”
The letter roughly mentioned wanting to meet and included the time and place. The handwriting looked exactly like Grace’s, but it wasn’t from him.
Once fooled, twice shy.
Familiar footsteps approached. Calm but restrained, Grace opened the newspaper—today’s paper. A large, beautiful photo of me and Philena was on the front page.
Click, click. As the door closed, Grace flipped through the newspaper.
“…Show your face.”
“Haven’t you already seen it?”
The front page was turned toward Whistler. He was surely looking at the photo of me and Philena.
“Is that not enough?”
As soon as I asked, whoosh. His aggressive hand snatched the newspaper.
“That day, I went to see Philena. There were many eyes watching, so we couldn’t talk long, but she clearly agreed. She agreed that I, who was far more suitable than you, would be her husband.”
Even at the Gray estate, Whistler tried to control his emotions, but his heavy breathing betrayed his rage. He spat out words with a trembling voice, unsure what to do in a situation he hadn’t encountered before.
“Clearly, she agreed. She accepted.”
“Want me to tell you something your brother doesn’t know?”
Grace nodded casually. Whistler’s clenched fist trembled at his reaction.
“Brother, what should we do about this?”
“You…”
“Philena knows you were the one who ruined her reputation.”
“…You, you really!!”
Unable to contain his anger, Whistler charged at Grace and grabbed him by the collar. Grace slowly stood, as if asking if he should help him up.
“Isn’t it more comfortable to grab the collar like this? I know because I’ve tried when you were sleeping.”
“Shut your vulgar mouth!”
“Unfortunately, that might be difficult. Oh, don’t get me wrong—I didn’t tell Philena, you revealed it yourself.”
“Do you think I’d believe your lies?!”
“It’s true. You also know Philena attended the masked ball, right? That day, when your friend, drunk, revealed your true self, Philena and I were there too.”
“…What—”
“I found you at her request at that ball. I wanted to greet you, since you’re her boyfriend. But you ruined everything yourself. Not me.”
“I’m the one who ruined that relationship? How dare you say that! I had no choice!”
“I said—”
“I had no choice. Change was necessary. I’ll say it again—for her.”
