Chapter 54

Bringing Jacqueline to my office to hear her out had been nothing more than a whim. But deciding to actually help her wasn’t whimsy. It was a calculated decision.

The student council president Bernard’s misconduct, the weaknesses that resulted from it, what I already possessed, and what I stood to gain.

Taking all of that into account, I had made my choice.

Unaware of those circumstances, Jacqueline looked up at me with a deeply moved expression and said,

“Professor, you may seem cold and grumpy on the outside, but you’re actually pretty warm-hearted, huh?”

“What do you mean?”

“All that grumbling earlier. Turns out you were always planning to help, weren’t you? You were just embarrassed to show it, right?”

“Jacqueline Dogwood.”

“Yes!”

“Save the sleep-talking for when you’re back in bed.”

“Eep.”

Jacqueline flinched briefly but then mustered the courage to continue.

“Still, you did promise! You said you’d help with Daniel’s case!”

I gave a small nod, and Jacqueline lit up like a plant revived by water after a long drought.

Since it was already late, I sent her back to the dormitory.

As she was walking toward the door, she suddenly twirled around with a light, playful motion and looked back at me.

“Oh, right, Professor! Can I ask you just one more thing before I go? It’s really, really been bothering me.”

“Speak.”

She cautiously watched my reaction, then glanced at the ceiling, scratched her cheek, and asked,

“Are you, um… dating the dormitory supervisor?”

“If you’re done, get out.”

***

The next day.

After having checked in just for formality’s sake, I left the Academy and headed into the city of Lambart.

At the northern corner of the Royal Mile, the place rumored to have the most expensive rental rates in all of Lambart, stood the Lambart Daily, the newspaper with the largest subscriber base in the city.

Yes, that was where the infamous mistress worked.

Though the newspaper’s office was a cramped, single-unit studio, the first floor had a reception desk and an attendant, and the second and third floors were efficiently used as workspace.

When I stepped inside, the receptionist’s eyes widened in recognition.

“Welcome. How can I help yo—wait, it’s him.”

If even a regular employee recognized me, it meant Winter Winslet must have visited here quite often.

“You’re here to see the director, right? I’ll go get her for you.”

The receptionist led me to the lounge and went to fetch Rose Bly.

She arrived immediately.

“Winter?”

Rose Bly looked genuinely surprised to see me.

“You came to see me?”

“As you can see.”

“I didn’t think you’d be the one to come find me.”

This was the first time I had met Rose Bly since the interview at Keith D’Alembert’s exhibition.

Back then, she had tried to seduce me into her bed, and I had coldly turned her down. Clearly, she had taken it hard.

Truthfully, I hadn’t expected to seek out Winter Winslet’s mistress in person either.

But Rose’s initial delight at seeing me quickly faded.

Her expression hardened.

“Wait here for a moment, okay? There’s something I forgot to take care of.”

“Is it urgent?”

“Yes. It’s urgent and important.”

“Then I will wait.”

How serious could it be for her to look like that?

Rose Bly returned ten minutes later.

Noticing the change in her appearance, I couldn’t help but ask in disbelief,

“Don’t tell me the ‘urgent matter’… was makeup?”

“I didn’t wear any earlier since I was planning to just focus on work today. I couldn’t possibly show my bare face to you.”

In my opinion, someone crowned the most beautiful woman in high society didn’t need makeup to be stunning….but remembering my fiancée, I held back any compliments.

“Do you not like it? Should I take it off and redo it?”

“No. It suits you.”

She wore a neat blouse tucked into high-waisted pants, and her makeup was minimal, likely done in a rush. Compared to the dress she wore back at the Cielo Palace, she now gave off a much more natural, graceful charm.

As I found myself staring for a moment, Rose Bly smiled shyly.

“Hmm… So this is the kind of look you like? Duly noted.”

Not sure what exactly she’d “noted”, but whatever.

With a long-strapped bag slung over her shoulder, Rose Bly asked,

“Shall we head out now? I’m free until tomorrow morning.”

“Sit down first.”

“We’re not going out? You want to talk here?”

“Yes.”

I had something to discuss with her.

It was about borrowing her influence to deal with the student council president of the Academy.

Rose Bly was both editor and director of this newspaper and the media could accomplish quite a lot.

But upon hearing my request, Rose pressed her lower lip with her thumb and let out a troubled sigh.

“Mmm, I didn’t know you were into that kind of thing.”

“……?”

“Of course, I do enjoy a bit of thrill myself, but… I’d need some mental preparation, you know? There are still employees who haven’t gone home yet…”

What kind of nonsense was that?

Before Rose Bly’s misunderstanding could spiral further, I clarified things.

“I came here today because I have business with the newspaper.”

“With the paper, not me?”

“To be precise, I have a job I’d like to entrust to you. As the editor-in-chief of the Lambart Daily.”

At those words, the look in Rose Bly’s eyes changed.

Gone was the dreamy gaze of a woman in love. It was replaced by the calculating glint of a businesswoman eyeing an opportunity.

“You should’ve said so earlier. I’ve been waiting for the day you’d finally need my talents.”

Rose Bly was a woman with ambition.

***

The relationship between Winter Winslet and Rose Bly went beyond a mere affair.

Not that it meant they were madly in love. Instead, it was more accurate to say they were partners who had agreed to use each other’s assets for mutual gain.

Winter Winslet was one of only two 7th-class mages in the Laurencia Kingdom and held a solid position among the aristocracy.

His good looks and wealth were simply bonuses.

Rose Bly, for her part, had influence in high society thanks to her charm and political intelligence, but compared to what Winter possessed, she still came up short.

That’s why, now that an opportunity to close that gap had finally come, she seemed eager and motivated.

“So, what kind of article do you want me to publish?”

I proceeded to explain to her the misconduct of Bernard, the Academy’s student council president, and the harm he had caused to others.

“A guy who’s the student council president of the Academy did something that disgusting? Just hearing about it makes me frown in disgust. He beat up a defenseless kid so badly they ended up in a coma, then washed his hands of it and even threatened the victim’s family? What kind of twisted upbringing does it take to turn out like that?”

That was Rose Bly’s assessment.

It was, frankly, the kind of situation anyone would be angry about.

Which also made it perfect for the papers.

As the Royal Academy which was widely regarded as the training ground for Laurencia’s finest was always under the scrutiny and expectations of the public, people were bound to feel uneasy knowing that the students meant to serve them in the future were being mistreated.

Rose Bly had a talent for writing in a way that made readers feel exactly what she wanted them to feel.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you the result you want. This sort of thing is right up my alley.”

“Good to hear. That’s reassuring.”

“But this is unexpected. I didn’t think you’d care this much about students being in trouble.”

It was true. If this were the old Winter Winslet, he would’ve scoffed at the victims rather than helping them.

He was a socialite to the bone, the kind of man who didn’t even see commoners as worth talking to just because of their low status. Hearing this story, he would’ve probably taken Bernard’s side instead.

Rose Bly seemed to find Winter Winslet’s uncharacteristic behavior a bit strange.

“Do you have a reason for helping the victim?”

A reason, huh.

Sure, Jacqueline’s request played a part, but that was just a minor trigger.

There was, of course, a real reason.

“Let’s just say… It’s bait for catching a bigger fish.”

“Ah, if it’s something that might put me in a difficult spot, you don’t have to tell me.”

Her willingness to cooperate so readily made me pause with a small doubt.

“What if helping me like this ends up causing trouble for you?”

“I’m not worried. I’m sure you had a reason for acting the way you did.”

“You trust me that much?”

At my question, Rose Bly let out a soft sigh, then looked into my eyes and began to speak seriously.

“The day we first met, it was you who saved me when I was at my lowest. In that moment, I decided to board the same ship as you. So yes, I’ll accept it.”

“Even if I end up betraying you?”

This time, Rose Bly gave a faint chuckle.

She looked at me the way someone might look at a teenage boy testing their lover’s affection with a childish remark, and I immediately regretted what I’d said.

In a gentle voice, Rose Bly said,

“Just don’t forget that I’m on your side. I’ll always be here to help you.”

What on earth had happened between Winter Winslet and Rose Bly when they first met to forge a bond like this?

I was curious, but it didn’t feel right to ask directly.

One thing had become clear to me. Rose Bly might turn out to be a far better ally than I’d expected.

It would be a waste to simply treat her as a mistress and keep her at arm’s length.

I wasn’t saying that just because she was beautiful.

…Really.

“Shall we head upstairs to take care of the rest?”

“Sounds good.”

Now that all the key information had been shared, it was time to get to work.

I headed up to the second floor with Rose Bly.

In the office, a young woman and man who were both employees of the newspaper were seated at their desks.

As they looked over at us, Rose Bly said,

“Don’t mind us. Just keep doing what you were working on.”

“Y-Yes…”

“Understood.”.

Though they responded, the employees’ eyes remained fixed on Rose Bly and me.

They clearly wondered what we were up to.

More precisely, their expressions seemed to say, “Wait… surely they’re not going to… right here, in the office, in front of everyone?” A mix of shock and disbelief hung in the air.

I decided to thoroughly disappoint their expectations and took a step back, observing Rose Bly at work from a respectful distance.

Seated at her desk, Rose Bly stretched deeply, then tied back her hair with a band.

She transformed into her working self when she perched a modest pair of glasses on her nose. This must be what she looked like in her natural environment.

“Just give me a minute. I’ll have a rough draft ready for you soon.”

“Take your time.”

Shifting into work mode, Rose Bly placed her fingers on the typewriter.

And then….click, clack, clack.

With a lively rhythm, arrows aimed to bring down Bernard began striking the page.

At times, the pen is mightier than the sword and this was one of those times.

The wait wasn’t boring.

I passed the time admiring the small beauty mark on the back of Rose’s neck, marveling at how perfectly placed it was.

A short while later, having finished typing, Rose picked up a knife and smoothly tore the sheet of completed manuscript from the roll, handing it to me.

I read a portion of it and gave a nod.

“At this rate, once the morning edition hits and noon rolls around, the bastard won’t even be able to show his face in public.”