Chapter 59
Illiana had also caught wind of the scandal.
“Are you crazy?”
Illiana blurted it out without thinking, glancing at her father sitting at the head of the table. She felt as if her breakfast might come back up.
Duchess Millane gave Illiana a warning glance.
It was a reminder not to ruin the family’s morning tea time.
Illiana barely swallowed her curse. She had no idea which madman wrote such an article, but she wouldn’t let it go.
‘No, wait. Alejandro might have already intervened.’
Illiana swallowed hard.
She hoped that was the case. Illiana liked Evelina. And it was clear that Evelina would absolutely dislike this situation.
Whether Evelina liked Alejandro or not, given that they had already had their engagement ceremony, how could a scandal involving a mutual acquaintance arise?
“Ha.”
Illiana let out a breath. Was this even reasonable?
She was so dumbfounded that her head felt dizzy.
“Illiana.”
Just as she was about to lose her mind, Duke Millane called her.
“Yes, Father.”
“I heard you’ve been getting along well with Countess Evelina Regnis lately.”
Illiana flinched. Duke Millane was usually quiet and had a blunt personality. He didn’t pay attention to trivial matters. For him to know Evelina, what was he going to say?
Illiana swallowed again.
“Yes, she’s someone who helps me in various ways.”
“That’s right. At such a young age, she has good instincts. They say she succeeds in everything she does?”
“That’s correct, Father.”
“I don’t dislike such people either. Evelina Regnis, she’s quite a valuable connection. In just a few months, hasn’t she put her business on the right track? You should certainly learn from that.”
“You’re right, Father.”
Illiana smiled awkwardly. She couldn’t understand why he was starting with such remarks. Duke Millane had an expression that was particularly hard to read.
“If you’ve established a connection, it would be good to maintain it; if not, it’s better not to start at all. Do you understand what I mean?”
Illiana flinched.
Her father knew about this article too! She felt her mind go blank. Even if Illiana was praised outside, she was just the daughter of Duke Millane inside.
“…I’m sorry, Father.”
Duke Millane’s eyebrows twitched. He hadn’t intended to hear such words in the first place. Duchess Millane shot a glance at the duke.
‘Be a bit softer! Just a bit more!’
Duke Millane sighed. There was no helping the disappointment. If only he had a son, this entire process would have been easier. The duke opened his mouth again.
“You don’t need to apologize to me, Illiana. That’s not what I’m trying to say.”
Illiana glanced up.
“…Don’t you want to continue the Millane lineage? Haven’t you always wanted to inherit a title and become a duke yourself?”
Illiana’s eyes widened.
It was true that she had been acting with that intention all along, but she never expected to hear such words directly from her father. She glanced at the duchess, but her mother merely shook her head slightly.
“You don’t need to worry about your mother. No matter what, she’s not so indifferent that she wouldn’t know what my bloodline is doing.”
“Father…”
“Go as far as you can. I’ll also try as far as I can. However, Evelina Regnis is quite a decent person, even in my old eyes. Her business sense and character are both commendable.”
Since Illiana became the protagonist of the photo book, he searched for all the publications released before and after it.
And after discovering who the subject of the recently published photo book was, he revised all his evaluations of Evelina. Evelina was not just a pretentious novice.
“Do you know who Lexan is?”
“If it’s Lexan…”
Illiana had heard about him a few times and was somewhat familiar. However, there was no way Illiana would get involved with a low-ranking noble like Lexan.
“Though Lexan is a low-ranking noble, even the imperial family doesn’t treat him lightly. Neither do I. Do you know why?”
Illiana hesitated and shook her head.
“Lexan has been providing free legal aid to the poor and the needy. He prioritizes people over his own interests. That’s something not everyone can do easily. Evelina Regnis knows how powerful that man is.”
“……”
“How many votes do you think would follow Lexan? Hundreds? Thousands? No. The entire public sentiment could move in his direction.”
Illiana’s gaze wavered. It was rare for Duke Millane to give such serious advice. The Duchess was also looking at the duke with surprise.
“Evelina is someone who understands the power that people, the citizens, hold. And—”
Duke Millane paused for a moment. He had seen all the photo books featuring Lexan.
And he couldn’t hide his astonishment. Unlike before, this photo book had given up all additional profits, excluding the revenue from selling the publications.
Illiana’s photo shoot was adorned with clothes and jewelry sourced from various dressmakers. She likely intended to leverage that for sales.
However, Lexan’s photos were taken as they were. The color was minimized, capturing only the essence of the person. He probably didn’t receive sponsorship from any dressmakers, so he wouldn’t be able to aim for incentives from additional profits.
Yet, Evelina boldly did that.
Duke Millane tapped the photo book of Lexan sitting on the table with his finger.
“This is respect, Illiana. Countess Evelina Regnis respected Lexan. It’s proof that she tried to understand the life he has lived and his life goals.”
“…….”
“People like this tend to survive until the end. If you’ve made her your ally, don’t turn against her. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Yes, Father.”
Illiana managed a faint smile.
In truth, being scolded for something she didn’t do didn’t feel great. However, aside from that, she was glad that Duke Millane had given her sincere advice for her sake. Moreover, hadn’t Duke Millane clearly said, “Do as much as you can”?
That was also one of the gains Illiana had achieved.
Another source of joy was that Duke Millane had recognized Evelina. Countess Evelina Regnis was a connection that Illiana had built solely through her own efforts.
A friend chosen by Illiana.
A sense of pride welled up within her.
‘See? My friend is really amazing, isn’t she?’
Illiana’s internal affinity for Evelina surged sharply. She sipped her tea with a cheerful smile. The tea, which had seemed stuck in her throat earlier, now went down smoothly.
“But what kind of relationship do you really have with His Highness the Crown Prince?”
If the Duchess hadn’t thrown that question, she would have finished her tea entirely.
“It’s nothing like that, Mother! This is so unfair! All I did was talk about business with His Highness the Crown Prince!”
Illiana exclaimed, nearly in tears.
Whoever it is, she won’t let them get away with it!
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Meanwhile, in Evelina’s office.
Anyway! Regardless of who gets involved in scandals or who falls in love, work still needs to be done.
I don’t care what kind of relationship Alejandro and Illiana have.
[Really? You seem angry right now. Should I eat her? If she’s gone from this world, Alejandro will be yours.]
Shut up.
Don’t you know when to keep quiet?
Look at you popping out at the wrong time. I stomped hard on the shadow with my foot and let out a long sigh.
I needed to plan the next photo book, and although it was delayed by about a month, I still had to get the article out.
“Let’s have a meeting for the next issue.”
“…You seem very angry, miss.”
Rebecca cleared her throat.
“Should I go find out what’s going on? And maybe check if I’m fired while I’m at it?”
“No, that’s fine. What do I care! I’m not interested at all!”
“You seem completely interested, though.”
Viviana muttered quietly.
“I’m really fine. Let’s have the meeting.”
Crack.
“Oh my, why did this break?”
Hahaha.
