The Search for the Duchess’s Husband – Chapter 84

Author: Dakku-san

Artia opened the book with a shaky hand.

The first page of the book was signed in Redrip’s colorful signature with a short inscription.

「 With gratitude to my fan, Artia. 」

“Kyaaaah!”

Artia couldn’t hold it in any longer, and she screamed, jumping up and down.

‘Who cares about dignity? I just got an autographed first edition of my favorite author!’

* * *

The publishing company.

Dan’s struggling little publishing company has an employee. The boy who stole Dahlia’s bag.

The boy with the duster frowned and grumbled.

“Oh, why do I have to work here?” he grumbled.

Dan, the bespectacled one, looked at the manuscript.

“If you don’t want to work, you can go to the police right now and get punished for stealing.”

Theft was a crime. Even more so if you stole from a nobleman.

“If you’re unlucky, your wrists will be cut off…”

“Hic!”

Dan said, turning to the pale-faced boy. “You’d be better off working your ass off here.”

The boss the kid saw every day was mean and the work was hard, but there were meals every day and he could sleep in a corner of the office.

In some ways, it was a lot better than prison.

“Damn it!”

The boy cursed and began vigorously dusting the bookshelves with a duster.

For now, he was forced to work without pay, but in time he would learn to read and become an official employee. And then he would live in typo hell.

That was Dan’s plan.

“The sin of tampering with sacred manuscripts is great, child.”

Dan turned his attention back to the manuscript, the corners of his mouth twitching upward in a sinister black grin.

* * *

Dahlia’s husband, Count Gregg’s eyes widened.

An enormous, ornate six-horse carriage was parked outside the mansion.

“A visitor?”

“It’s mine, I bought it.” Dahlia said, as if mocking his expectations.

Count Gregg’s jaw dropped.

“You bought a horse, a carriage?”

“Yes, I’ve always wanted one. The finest carriage, made by the best craftsman, Benya.”

Count Gregg gave a small groan, then a stern look, like a tutor to an unruly child.

“Madam, I am an official in the service of the state, and it would be considered extravagant for us to travel in such a luxurious carriage.”

“Isn’t extravagance spending too much money out of proportion? This carriage is hardly extravagant.”

“How is it not a luxury? A bureaucrat working for the state doesn’t get paid enough to ride in a carriage like this.”

Dahlia looked at her husband, who prided himself on his integrity, and retorted.

“But I didn’t buy this carriage with your money.”

“What?!”

“I bought it with my own pocket money, and I donated twice as much to the Academy as this carriage cost, and if anyone still accuses us of extravagance, then you have a problem.”

Count Gregg looked confused at this unexpected turn of phrase, but finally managed to collect himself and asked.

“Where in the world did you get so much money?”

“That’s a secret.”

Dahlia had no intention of telling him that her latest book had been a smash hit, leaving her sitting on a huge pile of cash.

“I’ll see you then.”

Dahlia pushed past her stone-faced husband and climbed into the carriage.

“This carriage is so roomy and luxurious. That is why all the heroes in novels have the finest carriages.”

She thought that if she were alone in a place like this, she would fall in love.

Intelligent and calm, Dahlia imagined a passionate love scene in a luxurious carriage.

* * *

“I’ve noticed that the way women look at me these days is more intense…” Killian said, a hint of displeasure on his face.

Killian, who was not afraid of the world, was actually very sensitive to the atmosphere, especially to the eyes of women.

Nocturne looked at Killian and replied. “It’s probably because of the novel.”

“The novel?”

“Yes. There’s a novel that’s been very popular lately, and the male protagonist is supposed to be a prince with black hair and golden eyes. He must have seen you and thought of you.”

“What is the title of the novel?

“The Noble Prince is Her Footman.”

“Have you read it?”

“Shall I tell you the plot?”

“Never mind.”

Nocturne, seeing the sunken gold of Killian’s eyes, spoke with the shrewdness of a servant.

“If you don’t like it, I’ll have the books confiscated immediately, and I’ll find the author and punish him so severely that he’ll never write a novel like this again.”

The usual Killian would have nodded. He wasn’t the kind of man to let someone who offended him go unchallenged.

But Killian said something unexpected.

“Wait, I have to check something.”

A few hours later, Killian was sitting across from Artia.

“The noble prince is her footman.” Killian said.

At that moment, Artia’s expression changed.

The calm Artia of a few moments ago was struck by lightning, and she cried out.

“Does His Highness know about this piece?”

“Yes.”

“Have you read it?”

“No.”

Seeing Artia’s expression instantly change to one of disappointment, Killian felt as if he had said something unkind.

Feeling a little uncomfortable, Killian spoke up.

“Nocturne told me that the work is very popular these days.”

“Not just popular,” Nocturne said,” but so much so that the first edition sells out as soon as it comes out, everyone I meet talks about it, there are lines at the bookstore at dawn whenever a reprint comes out, and people are willing to pay dozens of times the price for a copy. It’s the most popular of her novels, Ms. Redlip.”

Artia’s uncharacteristic excitement told me without asking.

“So, you’re a fan of hers.”

‘I’m glad I didn’t grab the author. Tears would have fallen from those bunny eyes.’

Satisfied with his decision, Killian changed the subject.

“By the way, about that book you recommended…”

“Oh, you read it?”

Killian nodded, and Artia’s pink eyes lit up again with a mad gleam.

‘I wonder if my favorite work would have been as interesting to him,’ Artia thought, hoping it would be.

“How did you like it?”

‘I wanted to punch the male lead.’

Killian, who had enough sense to know he shouldn’t say that, turned and said, “I didn’t find the male lead’s behavior very convincing.”

“Which part?”