“Please come in, Duke Lianster! We sincerely welcome your visit to Lurat!”

“It’s been a while, Lord Harris.”

“I can’t tell you how surprised I was to hear that you were visiting Lurat. You must be busy since taking over Matop, and I’m truly grateful that you’ve made the trip here.”

It was quite a welldressed man. Who is he?

As Riley was curious, Gibnen introduced the man to her.

“Sister, this is Lord Harris, the owner of the Harris Hotel. Lord Harris, this is the woman who will become my wife.”

“Wife? Oh, are you getting married?”

“That’s what happened.”

Harris looked flushed.

“I sincerely congratulate you, Duke!”

“Thank you.”

“Please come in. Ah, I’ve prepared cheese, venison, and claret wine; would you like to eat right away?”

At Harris’s question, Gibnen asked Riley,

“Do you want to eat first?”

“Yeah, I’m a little hungry.”

“Let’s do that.”

“I’ll prepare it so you can eat right away. The rooms are this way, follow me.”

They moved the carrier transported by the cargo teleporter themselves and guided them to the top floor royal room. Thanks to everything being taken care of, it was very convenient.

The meal was brought directly to the royal room they were staying in, and a menu listing additional items to order was provided.

Breakfast was typically simple snacks, but the food laid out on the plates looked more like works of art than food, boasting extreme sophistication.

Top quality, premium. Used to having only the best provided, Riley naturally picked up a fork and knife.

“But where is this place?”

“The southernmost part, a highly favored vacation spot.”

“Have you been here before?”

“I’ve been here a few times for business.”

“It must be a big city, considering it has such a fancy hotel.”

“Yes, it rakes in money from the tourism business, and many come from other continents. It’s relatively free for foreigners to come and go here.”

“Is it because of the sea?”

“That’s right. Trade is also thriving.”

Biting into a biscuit with transparent caviar and rich cheese, Riley looked out the window. The blue sea was in full view.

“It’s my first time seeing the sea.”

“I brought you here because I thought so.”

“It’s beautiful, much cooler than I imagined.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“But why did you bring me so far?”

“There are various reasons. I wanted to show you the sea, and we needed a space where we could move freely without being conscious of others.”

“……”

“I’m okay with it, but I thought you might be concerned.”

“About what?”

“People’s stares or paparazzi.”

That was true. Riley had been on edge until this morning, fearing another scandal might break.

Unlike Gibnen, who had sold his face and name until they were worn out, Riley was an ordinary person unaccustomed to having her face and name sold in gossip magazines.

“You don’t have to worry about that here. There are so many people, so we won’t stand out much. Even if we do…”

“Do?”

“Cover it up, of course.”

His confidence in being able to bury all the articles didn’t seem arrogant. Gibnen was a person with such capability.

“You can block all the articles?”

“There’s nothing I can’t do.”

“Then why didn’t you do it until now?”

“Do I have to?”

“You had more than one or two scandals following you around.”

Gibnen joked as he sipped his claret wine.

“It’s because I’m generous. The press should be grateful that I feed them. Without me, many of their newspapers would have been closed long ago. Especially the tabloids. I wonder how many people I’m feeding.”

Most of his scandal coverage was indeed close to tabloid journalism.

Whether it was because he had so many enemies, who knows. The real him was not as debauched or nasty as thought, but the image of him in the media… was unparalleled in idiocy.

Riley suddenly felt a bit sorry for Gibnen.
Gazing at his life, adorned with gold and glamor, one might be scorned for feeling pity, but to those who watched him up close, his life seemed lonelier and more stifling than they thought.

Everyone envied and admired his life, but could an ordinary person handle a life where jokes about feeding the news station were made, a life constantly under the scrutiny and ears of all people?

At Riley’s impassive words, Gibnen seemed to laugh as if he was taken aback.

“You’re not… pitying me, are you?”

“Perhaps?”

“Oh, I’ve never seen anyone pity me in my life.”

“I’m sorry if that upset you. But really, I’m in no position to pity anyone. It was just a funny remark.”

Gibnen stopped eating and looked at Riley gently.

“Do you think you’re pitiful?”

“I think my life has been quite pitiful.”

“Hmm.”

“But not now. Thanks to someone, I’m living in luxury. Claire says I’m very lucky. I used to think I was an unlucky person. But now… well, I guess I’m not that unlucky.”

“That’s good then.”

Riley put food in her mouth and seemed to remember something as she raised her head.

“You said before. That I’m pitiable.”

“Did I?”

“Yes, you said that you’re the only one I have.”

“Oh, that time.”

Gibnen also recalled that time.

“Keep relying on me.”

“Only look at me.”

“Only rely on me.”