For a moment, Edith froze at the sudden strange sensation. Her face flushed as he stared intently at her lips.

Seeing Edith staring at his face while shivering, Walter unknowingly felt a tight satisfaction.

Though it was done impulsively, the fact that she wasn’t avoiding him somehow pleased him.

At the same time, he felt a previously unknown emotion surge from inside.

He wanted to turn the intense urge into action, but he suppressed his roughening breath and kissed the place where the bite mark remained faintly.

“If you stay here, it might be interpreted as a desire to sleep together, since you hate going to the bedroom alone.”

Startled by his sly comment, Edith hurriedly withdrew her hand, grabbed the lamp, and scurried out of the study.

“…….”

Walter thought Edith, fleeing as if she might do something, looked just like a frightened rabbit.

A strange night when it felt as if summer had suddenly returned with a sudden heat wave.

(This is a time separator.)

Upon Edith’s request, Benjamin was heading down to the village at the river mouth right after leaving the Portrion mansion, having rented a carriage.

There were the best riverbank repair technicians in Portrion.

‘I must see the state of the riverbanks with my own eyes.’

Carpenters who had been repairing the riverbanks for generations told him a grim story after he identified himself as a journalist.

“If the cycle does not change, there will be heavy rain next year, so we should have been recruiting people necessary for the repair in spring.”

Displaying his wellhoned skills from years of journalism, Benjamin asked with a troubled look.

“Oh, dear… It seems you live downstream, you must be very worried. Did Portrion not discuss the repairs of the dam?”

“We got anxious when they sent neither official documents nor letters, so we contacted them first. We sent a letter in the village chief’s name asking about the timing for riverbank repairs.”

“You must have had a hard time. Did you get a reply?”

“No. We returned only trusting the words that a reply would come soon, but there was no reply, not even…”

Benjamin frowned.

Leaving the mansion, there was a commotion about the housekeeper’s embezzlement. It seemed the budget that should be used elsewhere had been touched too.

Or perhaps they didn’t even think about repairing the riverbanks, focusing all their attention on the embezzlement.

“Can I see the riverbank directly?”

Guided by the carpenters, Benjamin examined the state of the riverbanks.

The damage from repelling several summer rains was severe, and anyone, even those unfamiliar with embankments, could see that repairs were needed.

If left like this, not only crops but human lives could be at risk due to a collapse of the riverbanks.

“Please let the people know about this, young master journalist.”

“I will.”

Even if the people of the lower river hadn’t asked, Benjamin intended to widely publicize the fact that the Lord of Portrion had not fulfilled his duty.

If so, he would be able to save Edith from Sophia’s scheme, acting as the representative of the aristocratic house.
He wrote an article about the current problems and the expected damage and took it to the largest newspaper in the territory of Portrion.

“Benjamin! Dr. Homman, the head of the clinic, said you were in Portrion for a moment, so I was about to contact you.”

Since he was born and raised in Portrion, and had nurtured his dream of becoming a journalist with him, it wasn’t difficult to ask a few close friends who were employees of the newspaper to publish the article.

“If it’s an article you wrote while covering an exclusive story at the capital’s newspaper, I’d be thankful, but…….”

Benjamin’s friend, Peter, hesitated for a moment. After all, as a local newspaper, they couldn’t ignore the sensitivity of the Portrion authors.

But when Benjamin repeatedly persuaded that if he did not warn in advance, serious damage would occur, Peter nodded.

“Yes. Even if I’m conscious of how it looks, the newspaper has to do its job.”

“Thank you, Peter. And…….”

Benjamin pulled up a chair and asked in a quieter voice.

“If you know anything about the current situation of the Portrion authors, I would like to ask.”

As his eyes sparkled, Peter chuckled.

“You heard about Edith, didn’t you?”

The question seemed like asking if he was still in love with that determined girl, and Benjamin irritatingly scratched his head.

“I heard about Edith from my uncle and sneaked into the Portrion author’s Thanksgiving feast. Since she was victimized by a crazy kidnapping marriage, I must help her as a friend.”

Peter was somewhat baffled. Sincere enough to infiltrate the author’s residence for that woman, yet pretending not to be.

Though it seemed like a foolish unrequited love, on the other hand, he also had a strong desire to support his friend’s longstanding pure heart.

“I’ve actually heard something. I couldn’t publish it in an article yet because it’s still delicate…….”

Peter looked around once more to make sure no one was eavesdropping and said.

“One of our employees, who often mingled with the authors and gamblers, told me during an interview that about 7 years ago? The author kidnapped the bloodline of some family in the capital.”