Chapter 14. After the Evaluation

‘Not even a tabloid like Gossip in Shedron, but the front page of a national daily…’

There was no shame worse than this.

Letting out a deep sigh, Serenia lowered her gaze, and the photo of the Gossip in Shedron headquarters, reduced to ashes, came into view.

Next to it was a block of text, scrawled by either a reporter or a novelist, nobody could tell.

[Meanwhile, the newspaper that first reported the Duke of Admancanon’s proposal burned down in a mysterious fire that morning. Upon investigation, it was revealed that the newspaper had already submitted a closure notice to the authorities before the fire occurred…]

Reading up to this point, Serenia nodded and muttered under her breath.

“As expected. The one behind Gossip in Shedron was Raskal, no, I guess it’s them after all.”

It was his trademark to secretly acquire a company, use it for something like this, and then get rid of it cleanly.

Serenia clicked her tongue and continued reading the newspaper.

[Currently, both the Admancanon and Barishart families are maintaining silence, and the engagement between the two families is quickly becoming an accepted fact. Meanwhile, the disappearance of the Barishart Count’s daughter on the afternoon of December 1st is causing a stir. When the city guards checked the residence, traces of a secret escape route in the basement were found…]

Serenia stopped reading and clenched her eyes shut.

Her house had been ransacked.

By the city guards!

The location of the secret escape route in her home had now been broadcasted across the country because of this newspaper. The already low property value would have certainly plummeted even further.

“…If this keeps up, the house might be auctioned off and we still won’t be able to pay off the bank debts, will we?”

A shiver of anxiety ran down her spine.

But then she calmed herself and shook her head.

“No, it’s fine. The bank debts will be solved once the marriage certificate is signed. I just have to hold on for six more days.”

Reassured, she lifted the newspaper again, muttering to herself.

“By the way, Gossip in Shedron… The fact that even the newspaper run by Marquis Milton is treating my marriage as a done deal means they really do plan to marry me.”

The question that had been eating at her since yesterday started to consume her thoughts again.

‘Why?’

Why would he want to marry someone like me, with no money, no status, no honor?

‘Revenge? Sympathy? Or maybe…’

Her gaze shifted toward the image of the destroyed Gossip in Shedron newspaper office in the photo.

“…Silencing me?”

A thought suddenly came to her like an instinct, and she inhaled sharply.

The war fourteen years ago.

Raskal, who returned as a national hero at the age of fifteen, and the strongest knight of the Kingdom of Zigranto, who returned as a cowardly fugitive.

That story, which seemed strange to anyone who heard it for the first time, became a fact thanks to the silence of the Barishart Count.

Silence was often seen as confirmation, after all.

But what if there was another story behind the version everyone believed to be true?

‘What if my father remained silent for the sake of his beloved student, and Raskal benefited from that silence?’

He had pulled in a small newspaper, spreading fabricated extra editions, even going so far as to burn it down and erase all evidence.

What if, fearing the fall of his reputation, he poisoned his mentor and, to make matters worse, turned his daughter into an Admancanon instead of a Barishart, to bind her to him?

That would explain everything.

The public proposal, in front of all those people?

If it was to completely block off any other marriage proposals for Serenia Barishart, then it made sense.

Even though society was full of idiots, Raskal, who was infamous for sweeping away anything that bothered him, would not have gone so far as to approach a woman who wasn’t truly his target.

Crack.

The sound of her teeth grinding leaked out between her lips.

She clenched her fists and muttered as if growling.

“But what am I supposed to do? It looks like there’s someone in the entertainment district too, that idiot.”

At this point, she no longer cared.

Whether that host sold nothing but drinks and sweet words or sold himself along with laughter.

At least he would keep her as Serenia Barishart.

“…Now that I think about it, he really does look like an angel!”

She tried to deceive herself by saying this out loud.

However, Serenia soon found herself regretting the words she’d spoken just three hours later.

It happened when she sat face to face with Ain, dressed in a half-finished outfit, unsure whether he had just put his clothes on or taken them off.

* * *

The cafe, decorated with a variety of summer flowers, felt incredibly warm despite the cold winter, likely due to the heat from the stove.

Today, he wore a golden wig, as if he had gathered the sunlight of midsummer.

Perhaps it was the color of his hair, but he appeared even more like a host than usual.

However, it seemed that wasn’t enough for him. He had unbuttoned four buttons of his short-sleeve shirt, revealing his chest as he flashed a grin.

‘…What on earth is he thinking?’

Thanks to his sunglasses, his eyes had an inscrutable, mysterious tint.

Serenia sighed softly, staring directly into his eyes.

He was such a suspicious man, impossible to read.

She pursed her lips in annoyance but quickly squeezed her eyes shut.

It was because his outfit, which was too embarrassing to even look at, made her recall what Angela had said the night before.

Something about experience, illusions…

Saying his movements were well done, how dynamic his poses were…

Feeling like she might vomit at any moment, she took a deep breath and sipped on some warm mint tea to calm herself.

Ain, who had been looking at her with a blatantly obvious gaze, asked,

“Your Grace. I’m really curious— is it still winter over there?”

Serenia responded with a look of disdain,

“Of course not. I’m perfectly fine in this short summer dress, aren’t I? And this ridiculous short bob wig is actually making me a bit warm.”

She pushed up the sunglasses that were sliding down her nose from the sweat collecting on her brow.

Ain, with an expression that showed he didn’t quite understand, asked,

“Then why do you insist on drinking such a hot beverage?”

“Because tea is meant to be drunk hot, obviously?”

She was a so-called tea fundamentalist who insisted on warm tea even in the middle of summer.

She shot a disapproving look at the iced mint tea in front of him.

“And you? No matter how warm this room is with the stove, you’re still drinking a cold beverage in winter. Doesn’t it freeze your bones?”

“Aah. I’m the type of person who takes ice baths in the middle of winter.”

Serenia was about to glare at him for his reply, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at his utterly embarrassing appearance.

Meanwhile, Ain seemed to enjoy her discomfort, unable to look him in the eye.

Suddenly, as if struck by a playful impulse, he went further.

Not only did he undo another button, but he also casually opened the front of his shirt, proudly displaying his smooth, toned chest and beautifully extended collarbones.

It seemed his behavior amused him, as he watched Serenia, who stubbornly looked anywhere but at him.

Ain wasn’t done yet; he boldly revealed one of his shoulders as well.

“How’s this? Do you think it’s okay?”

“…Huh?”

Serenia asked faintly, her face pale from the nausea rising inside her.

Completely oblivious to her discomfort, Ain proudly flaunted his body.

“A lot of people come here, spending a lot of money just to see this.”

Serenia scrunched her face in disgust.

Angela’s words from the previous night and the unsettling scenes she had witnessed at some past party mixed uncontrollably in her mind.

Trying to calm her churning stomach, she coldly replied,

“Enough. I’m not interested in men’s bodies.”

“Huh? Then, do you have an interest in women’s bodies?”

“Are you crazy?”

“No, it’s just strange. Normally, people can’t take their eyes off of it.”

Serenia stared at him, who was speaking in a tone of complete confusion.

Sighing deeply, she realized she’d be hearing this kind of conversation all day if she didn’t do something.

Reluctantly, she decided to take drastic action.

“Is that so? Then take it off.”

“…Huh?”

She smirked at his frozen expression and crossed her arms as she pointed to him.

“I said, take it all off.”

At her words, Ain, who had been so bold until now, forgot all his prior swagger and quickly covered his chest with both hands.

Serenia glared at him with sharp eyes.

“You were the one who started with all these weird comments, so why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s not that…”

“You asked me what I thought, didn’t you? If you want an answer, you should let me see properly!”

“….”

“Why, are you not confident?”

Ain’s pride was clearly wounded, and he snapped,

“No, I’m not!”

Then, he ripped open the buttons of his shirt and proudly revealed his bare chest.

“…Oh.”

Serenia couldn’t help but let out a small gasp.

It was clear that his body had been finely crafted, like a work of art.

At that level, it made sense that he would want to show it off.

‘And considering he’s made such a fortune with that body, no wonder he’s so proud.’

She couldn’t help but understand his feelings and nodded in acknowledgment.

But understanding his feelings and making an evaluation were two different things.

“89 points.”

The world of ratings was cruel.