Elena’s body stiffened.

She could feel gazes pouring towards her from all directions.

Those who had been avoiding Elena until just moments ago were now looking at her as if she were the most interesting thing in the world.

“The payment, is…”

Amid the stinging gazes, Elena barely opened her mouth.

A forced smile appeared on her lips.

“I think you’ll need to discuss this with my brother. I’ll… let my brother know. He’ll resolve it right away.”

“Understood, Lady Elena. Please also convey that the manager has been waiting for a long time.”

“I’ll do that. …Well then, I’ll be going now.”

With those final words, Elena fled the dress shop as if escaping.

As the woman with brilliant platinum blonde hair stepped onto the street, passersby turned to look.

Gazes that she would have gladly enjoyed before now felt like needles. They seemed to be checking if she was the woman from the gossip magazine.

Elena nervously opened her parasol and covered her face.

But she couldn’t cover her ears.

“Even with a friend beside her, her eyes kept wandering to that husband, hmm…”

Hearing someone humming, Elena gritted her teeth painfully.

“Eek…!”

Those damn lyrics.

That damn song.

That damn Ariana…!

‘I’ll pay you back for this humiliation, without fail!’

Ariana standing on stage, throwing photos with a detestable smile.

Recalling that scene, Elena clenched her trembling fists tightly.

‘Did you think I’d crumble just like this?’

Even if the sky falls, there’s always a way out.

Wasn’t she the one who rose from a commoner to the position of a soprano that nobles pay money to see?

Surely somewhere there must be a way…

Just as she thought that.

“Kyaak!”

A rough hand suddenly grabbed Elena and yanked her.

Startled, Elena twisted her body this way and that, but she was no match for the strength of the man much larger than her.

“Who are you— mmph!”

The assailant covered Elena’s mouth and dragged her forcefully.

Elena, who was about to scream for help from people around, widened her eyes the next moment.

“Damn it, it’s me, Elena. Come quietly!”

It was Lucas’s voice.

“M-My Lord?”

Elena’s heart began to pound violently. Only then did she relax her body and quietly follow Lucas.

‘You finally came looking for me.’

Since that day when the breaking news appeared in that cursed newspaper, , Lucas had been unreachable.

No matter how many letters the shocked Elena sent, there was no response, and once when she went to visit the duke’s residence…

“You cheap witch of a woman! How dare you come here after seducing our son with your dirty body!”

She was driven out while being cursed with all sorts of words by the duchess with a neck brace.

Though they were both involved in the scandal, she had to endure it alone. It was an unbearably miserable time for Elena.

But of course, Lucas wouldn’t have abandoned her forever.

‘Well, the duke must have needed time to collect himself too.’

Only after entering a deserted alley did Lucas release Elena’s wrist.

Elena lowered her eyelashes and bit her lower lip pitifully, as she had planned.

Thinking of the miserable days past, tears fell like beads naturally.

“My Lord, I was so scared—”

“Damn it, Elena!”

Elena’s shoulders trembled at the thunderous shout.

“Wandering around outside at a time like this. Are you out of your mind or what!”

Elena looked up at Lucas with disbelieving eyes.

“Are you… angry at me right now?”

“You should have just stayed hidden at home quietly instead of going around stirring up more gossip!”

“I was trying to explain to people somehow to restore our reputations…!”

“What explanation! Everyone’s already seen the article. And because of that damn song, we’ve become complete laughingstocks. Do you think any verbal explanation would work in this situation?”

Elena bit her trembling lips. It was true that all she had faced today were sneers, just as he said.

But shouldn’t Lucas refrain from criticizing her like this? Lucas of all people.

“I…”

As Elena trembled, Lucas clicked his tongue lowly.

“Haa… damn it.”

Then he roughly pulled Elena into an embrace.

Collapsing into his arms, Elena hugged Lucas’s waist tightly.

“Listen carefully, Elena.”

Holding Elena firmly, Lucas whispered in her ear.

Elena nodded her head quickly. It seemed Lucas had some kind of plan after all.

‘Of course. He is Duke Fedegrin after all.’

She couldn’t be more fortunate that Lucas was her scandal partner.

As the head of a prestigious family, he would surely know how to overcome this crisis somehow.

Lucas tucked Elena’s hair behind her ear. Elena closed her eyes and nuzzled her cheek against his hand like an affectionate puppy.

“There is one way we can survive.”

Lucas whispered into her ear revealed beyond her hair.

“Miss, Miss!”

I turned around.

Sophie was panting with an excited face like a squirrel that had found sunflower seeds.

“What’s the matter, Sophie? Did you run here?”

“I was on my way back from the errand you sent me on to Alize Street, and I met Lina? Ah, Lina is my hometown friend who now works at a dress shop. And today she.”

Sophie paused there for a moment, quite the skilled storyteller.

“Today?”

“She saw Lady Elena!”

I hesitated at the familiar name.

Sophie continued, barely containing her laughter.

According to her friend Lina, Elena had visited the dress shop today and tried to greet some baron’s daughter, only to be coldly ignored.

Sophie dramatically reenacted the baron’s daughter’s haughty fan-opening gesture and giggled.

“But that’s not all. She was dunned for the dress payment in front of all those people!”

“…Is that so?”

I slowly rubbed my forehead.

It was clear as day what had happened.

As soon as he heard the tickets were sold out, Edward would have filled his vanity with material things.

I could vividly imagine Elena clinging to his side, wheedling dresses and jewelry out of him.

But by now, all those luxury items bought then would probably have to be resold.

Otherwise, there would be no way to pay the refunds.

“They say she left the shop in a hurry like a debt collector being chased away. Heheheh!”

Sophie rubbed her palms together as if just thinking about it was satisfying. A vile smile unfittingly overlaid her youthful face.

Elena’s reputation had plummeted to rock bottom.

That child’s dream wasn’t simply to become the empire’s top soprano. That was just a means to an end.

To become the flower among flowers dominating high society, living ostentatiously with a retinue of followers. That was Elena’s true goal.

But the moment the article came out, her fairly sizeable group of followers vanished like snow on a summer’s day.

‘Will you despair and give up?’

Not likely.

The Elena I knew was a tougher and stronger girl than that.

What a fortunate thing indeed.

Just seeing your despairing face once wouldn’t be enough…

“My child in my womb, can’t you make it your sister’s child?”

“If Ariana dies, who will make my songs now?! And what about the funds to build heaven?!”

…to assuage my resentment.

“That’s not the end of it, Miss. There’s more to the story.”

Sophie continued her tale with a proud face like a fisherman who had caught a big fish.

“Lina said she saw a man appear near the dress shop and grab Lady Elena’s wrist, then take her away. His face was covered but she could see a bit of red hair peeking out.”

“Must have been Lucas.”

Sophie nodded her head vigorously.

“I wonder what conversation they had? Did they discuss some countermeasure?”

“Well. If it was that, he wouldn’t have needed to grab her wrist and drag her away.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

Sophie agreed, her eyes wide.

“She said the atmosphere seemed quite tense. Do you think he took Lady Elena away to fight with her?”

“Who knows.”

I smiled lightly.

A high-ranking nobleman embroiled in a sordid scandal with a woman of lower status than himself.

What choice would an ordinary noble man make in this situation? No. What would Lucas do?

Dragging away his mistress with a fierce momentum, what words would he whisper in her ear?

‘I can guess, I can.’

“Wait a moment, Sophie.”

I walked to the desk and took out some stationery, moving my pen across it.

Then I carefully folded the letter and handed it to Sophie.

“When you return to the Lopez estate, could you give this to Wilhelm?”

“Yes, Miss.”

Sophie nodded solemnly.

Sophie had only stopped by the duke’s residence for my errand, as she was still working at the Lopez estate. It was for a certain favor I had entrusted to her.

“But do you have something else to do, Miss? You’re still wearing your indoor dress.”

“Ah.”

I nodded lightly. Come to think of it, it should be around sunset soon.

I turned to look out the window and confirmed that the lights were on in the window visible beyond.

“I have somewhere to visit.”

“At this hour in the evening? Where are you going?”

Sophie asked with round eyes.

I opened my mouth casually.

“I’m going to see His Grace the Duke.”