The Storm That Ignited the Empire
Contrary to what Farel had dismissed as mere trifles, the name Ivan Earnest had gained quite a reputation across the Empire.
It was thanks to the excellence of the knightly tales he authored, yet the surging influence of Shell Ami, the newspaper company, played an even greater role in recent months.
In other words……
“Have you seen the newspaper from Shell Ami? The marriage announcement for Duke Bright!”
“Yes, I have. It’s truly audacious! This is the first time anyone has received marriage news through both an announcement and an interview.”
“But wasn’t there a prince who was engaged to Duke Bright? They say the engagement has been broken?”
“Oh my, I hadn’t heard about that…….”
By publicly revealing the pregnancy and threatening Farel one step earlier, they had clearly managed to capture the attention of the high society.
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— Anonymous Tipster
Captured intimate moments of the two!
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— Anonymous Tipster
Duke Bright, is he still involved with his former fiancée? Mockery or genuine affection?
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— Anonymous Tipster
The Duke’s family has prepared extra seats for the wedding so that anyone can attend even without an invitation.
The high society, which had begun to lose interest, was now swept up again by fresh gossip, buzzing day and night.
Of course, Farel was the one who burned most brightly.
“Your Highness, no matter who you are……!”
“Move!”
—Crash!
“Vivian! What exactly are you doing right now? A marriage announcement with Ivan Earnest?”
“Farel, I was already planning to visit the Underwood family. The duke’s side has already signed the documents. As long as you only check with them, the breakup should go through normally……”
“What kind of nonsense is that. Hah, Vivian, do my words look funny to you? It seems you’re just bluffing to scare me.”
“……”
“Ha, haha! I see. From your face, I’ve got the picture. All right, let’s both fall into hell together.”
With eyes blazing with blue fire, Farel delivered his declaration to Vivian, and he truly kept his word.
He had prepared well in advance, so the pregnancy news spread at a frightening pace.
Yet sadly, the situation did not unfold as he had hoped.
With mountains of information making it impossible to tell fact from rumor, people were beginning to lose their sensitivity to sensational stories.
“Have you heard the rumor? The prince who was engaged to Duke Bright is actually pregnant!”
“Huh? Prince Farel is pregnant? Ahahaha! Miss, you’re joking!”
“It’s not a joke. I heard it from the duke’s family itself—they used forbidden magic. There are even photos!”
“Such absurd rumors spreading around… I suppose this matter truly shook the high society. Well, you’ll see for yourself at the wedding.”
“Will you be attending, Miss?”
“Of course!”
Watching all his carefully laid plans reduced to mere gossip, Farel ground his teeth in frustration.
Though the topic of a man’s pregnancy and forbidden magic seemed far-fetched, it carried far more weight than one might think.
At the very least, it was enough to make families constantly eyeing the duke’s household view him as prey.
“That damned reporter Ivan has ruined everything with just a few words?!”
—Clang!
He hurled the silverware on the table with a hand heavy with anger and let out a harsh breath.
‘How on earth did I let my guard down?’
When he had first revealed the truth, the duke’s family had reacted differently.
‘Did they figure something out in such a short time? No, there was no point in it anyway.’
Because the pregnancy had indeed been achieved through forbidden magic.
‘Of course, that creepy black mage assured me the child’s condition was unstable and dangerous…….’
That was none of Farel’s concern. It was simply a tool to take Vivian’s place.
‘If things keep going like this, I might really have to call off the engagement.’
He had confidently claimed he could resolve it all, yet the Underwood family had shown no reaction so far. But that time was over.
Struggling against the situation, he bit his nails and rolled his eyes in irritation.
‘The wedding.’
If he ever got the chance, it would be then—on the day of the wedding, when he asked for her true feelings.
Farel’s eyes glittered with dark emotion.
While staring into the void and turning ideas over in his mind, one fact suddenly surfaced in his thoughts.
‘They said the two would hold the wedding publicly.’
And that anyone could attend even without an invitation.
‘Anyone…….’
It felt absurd even after thinking it over again. A noble marriage of long standing, announced publicly with no invitation?
‘Because the level of the partner they chose was so low, they wanted to flaunt their love to the common rabble…….’
Such a gap would ultimately be their downfall.
Breathing deeply into his chest with pride still aching at having lost to commoners, he placed his hand over his belly.
Was it truly due to black magic? The way his belly swelled seemed far faster than a normal pregnant woman.
‘Honestly, this is a stroke of luck for me right now.’
The clearest proof would be a swollen belly.
Raising his body with the conviction that he could never lose, he hurriedly grabbed his coat and left the mansion.
It was time to seek out the black mage who had helped him conceive the child.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the midst of the high-society rumor that had shaken the empire, the protagonist Ivan Earnest was once again typing on his typewriter without fail.
It wasn’t for overtime or personal interviews, but because of a single reader’s criticism.
An extremely important and demanding reader—impossible to ignore.
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— Young Reader
Please write it more dramatic and natural so people will feel emotional. A century-spanning love but not sticky or shallow?
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— Young Reader
You wrote well about how the Bright family sacrificed for the empire, but when it comes to their love story you get stuck?
The commentary left by Idel through the artifact was so sharp it was almost unbelievable for a child, yet at the same time stubbornly childlike.
‘It really is odd.’
Shaking his head, he resumed typing, only for his fingers to slow once more.
‘Odd…….’
Indeed, recent events had wrapped Ivan in a dreamlike atmosphere.
The most ridiculous incidents had suddenly disrupted his daily life and brought yet another change.
And at the center of it all was, naturally, Idel Clementine.
‘Even this alone is strange. I never imagined I would end up marrying her so suddenly.’
That day, Idel had declared out of nowhere that she would use him. She had said he was a journalist and should use it to issue a marriage announcement in the newspaper.
Even now, her slightly dreamy voice seemed to echo in his ears.
‘No, who ever said we would actually marry? Well, it doesn’t matter if it’s just for show, but…… I just want to plant a trap. One that benefits us.’
‘That…….’
‘Given that old man’s personality, he’ll cause another scene sooner or later. Might as well let the protagonist take center stage on our prepared set.’
Recalling the mischievous smile that had briefly appeared on her lips, another thought suddenly occurred to him.
‘Idel, how exactly did you get caught up in such a rumor?’
The Idel he knew was not entirely honest and gentle, even if her relationships were narrow.
‘Her mind is exceptional.’
Ah, so that was why?
Idel had never acted or thought like a typical noble daughter.
No noble child would deliberately use a newspaper column to spread information.
‘She said she could block the rumors.’
Whenever he saw her eyes shining blue, Ivan wondered how she had come up with such a thought.
‘If Idel had spoken with her usual blunt honesty…….’
People would have been more likely to dismiss her based solely on her appearance. Unfamiliarity bred rejection.
Especially Idel, who had not yet made her social debut, making rumors easy to spread.
‘……She must have suffered a lot.’
The stares she had faced as a child must have been unbearable. She might even have already been wounded.
Thinking that far, Ivan’s eyes behind his glasses glowed quietly and firmly.
Idel had said she helped out of her own feelings, but no matter the reason, she had received enormous help from him.
Enough to call him her savior. So……
‘Then I hope I can be of help to you next time, Idel.’
1,441 words
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