Chapter 36

It was now late enough to be called night rather than evening.

I was being guided deeper into the Cielo Palace.

A suite with a large living room, a lavish bedroom and bathroom, and even a private office.

Just looking at the chandelier on the ceiling, the space felt far too extravagant for a simple interview.

But Winter Winslet was a celebrity in high society, and there were plenty of people willing to pay dearly for even a moment of his time.

The person who appeared before me was one of them.

“My name is Rose Bly.”

The reporter conducting the interview was a young woman—

A beauty with wavy, jet-black bobbed hair.

Her eyes which were raised like cat eyes, her long lashes, and thin red lips gave her a haughty and strong impression.

“I’m the editor-in-chief of the Lambart Daily and the lead reporter for the gossip magazine Rose Blanc. This interview will be published in Rose Blanc. Thank you for taking the time, Mr. Winslet.”

Rose Bly.

According to the official lore of Candela of Judgment, she was considered the most beautiful woman in Lambart’s high society.

In the original game, she made a brief appearance in an episode investigating a murder involving a prominent figure in high society, and she played more of a hindrance than an ally. She was a minor character at best.

Outside of that one episode, she rarely interacted with the player.

But now, as someone possessing Winter Winslet, she was unexpectedly connected to me.

Wasn’t it Lambart Daily that published the article about the time Josephine slapped me?

I still clearly remembered how that publishing house mercilessly covered follow-up gossip, tearing Josephine apart in the gossip column.

It must’ve been this woman’s handiwork.

She looked about the same age as Josephine.

To be holding the editor-in-chief position at such a young age, she must be quite capable…

Anyway, this was all part of wielding influence, and since I’d already been paid before I possessed this body, I decided to go through with the interview.

Rose Bly and I sat facing each other across a small table.

I slowly crossed my legs and asked,

“What’s the interview about?”

“Oh, nothing major. Just your thoughts and impressions from today’s exhibition. Even the smallest observations are fine.”

“A publicity piece, then?”

“You catch on quickly.”

Rose Bly gave me a smile with her eyes.

There was something oddly sticky about her gaze.

“Baron d’Alembert may have paid an enormous sum to rent out the palace, but the truth is, he didn’t cover all of it himself. More than half came from sponsors.”

Rose Bly said that various clients such as the Glassworks Cooperative, the Perfumers’ Guild, famous designers, and luxury leather ateliers, had commissioned Keith d’Alembert for advertising.

Advertising, in this case, meant subtly featuring their products throughout the exhibition in exchange for helping cover part of the palace’s rental cost.

Even the perfume Monastrell had raved about earlier was actually a sample provided by the sponsors for promotional purposes.

Only nobles from the upper class were invited to this event, and simply having their products exist in the same space as those guests was enough to generate advertising value.

In that sense, Baron d’Alembert’s exhibition was itself one big advertisement.

And the short interview published under Winter Winslet’s name would serve as the final touch, the cherry on top, maximizing that promotional effect.

Rose Bly said,

“The title will be Interview with a Person of Interest. It’s a purely formal, commercial interview, so feel free to give casual answers. I’ll dress them up nicely for the page. Simple, right?”

In other words, no matter what I said, she’d tailor the article to fit the sponsors’ interests.

I nodded, and from there, we exchanged a few short questions and answers.

Rose Bly jotted down the conversation in a palm-sized notebook.

“I see. So when you said the sight of that barbaric woman guzzling down perfume left an impression… I can interpret that as: ‘A woman, drawn by the scent of the perfume, appeared so entranced that she seemed as if she might actually drink it.’ Would that be accurate?”

…That’s practically word-for-word.

By the time she’d filled a few pages of her notebook, the interview was over.

“That concludes the planned questions. Now, may I ask you one personal question before we wrap up?”

I nodded slightly to give her permission.

Rose Bly chuckled softly and asked,

“How has your night life been with your fiancée lately? Is it satisfying enough to forget other women? Or… perhaps not going as smoothly as one might expect?”

For a moment, I thought I’d misheard.

What did she just say?

“Hmm… Why don’t I try to guess for myself?”

Rose Bly said that—

And then,

Tap.

Something brushed against my shin.

There was no point considering any other possibility.

It was the tip of Rose Bly’s foot.

Had she accidentally touched me while shifting her position?

But a moment later, I realized something even stranger.

The sensation against my shin wasn’t from a shoe. It was unmistakably barefoot.

“What is this supposed to be?”

When I stared with a serious expression, Rose Bly even let out a soft chuckle.

“Hmm, your angry face is sexy too, but don’t you think it’s time we got honest about our relationship? We’ve wrapped up all the business, haven’t we? I’ve been holding back, you know.”

As she said that, she slowly ran her tongue over her lower lip, then gradually raised the intensity of her touch.

The moment her toes moved past my knee and brushed my thigh, my disgust hit its limit.

Has she lost her mind?

Creeeak.

I pushed back my chair and stood up, trying to figure out what to say to this brazen sexual harasser—

When something unexpected happened.

“Wait. You’re just going to leave like that?”

Rose Bly looked up at me with a frightened expression.

I was the one who should be feeling violated. Why was she the one looking scared?

She grabbed tightly onto my collar.

And said,

“No. Sit down and talk to me.”

I asked while barely restraining my voice,

“Do I look like I’m in any state to talk right now?”

“What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?”

Is she being serious right now?

“Or… are you already tired of me?”

…Huh?

Getting hit in the back of the head repeatedly makes you go numb.

In that daze, I lost my words. But in their place, something I’d forgotten came back to me.

Winter Winslet.

The fact that he was a legendary womanizer.

***

Winter Winslet and Rose Bly.

In the original work, they were each known as the most beautiful man and woman in high society. But beyond that, they had nothing in common.

That’s why even as a long-time player of Candela of Judgment, it never occurred to me that there might be something going on between them.

I’d never picked up on any signs of that while playing Candela of Judgment.

And now I was supposed to believe these two had been secretly involved all along?

The sudden intrusion of a mistress brought some much-needed tension to what had become a dull possession life.

And Rose Bly’s behavior wasn’t that of a casual fling from a one-night stand….she was clearly taking on the full role of a serious mistress.

Should I be relieved she didn’t show up with a secret lovechild in tow?

Winter Winslet.

That sinful bastard.

I tried to play the part of the calm and stern man, hoping to reason with her.

“Rose Bly.”

“I’d rather you called me Rosie. It’s just the two of us here, isn’t it?”

“Since when were we that close?”

“You don’t have to say it out loud. I already know. You only spend time with me because of what I have to offer.”

I genuinely didn’t know what she meant.

Looking downcast, Rose Bly clutched her forearm and teared up.

“But you don’t have to be so cold. Lately you haven’t even come to see me. And now that we finally meet, you look at me like that. Am I no use to you anymore?”

Ugh, this scumbag.

I almost took Rose Bly’s side without realizing it.

A beautiful woman’s tears are terrifying.

“I thought the reason we weren’t seeing each other was because you were busy. But you seem to have no problem making time for her. You treat me so coldly, but today, you were so kind to her. Am I less than her in your eyes?”

The “her” Rose was referring to was, of course, Josephine.

According to the original setting, Rose Bly was the most beautiful woman in high society and the way she looked to me now wasn’t far off from that description.

So, while I did feel sorry, really sorry, for Josephine and, as her fiancé, sorry one last time…!

Even as a figure of speech, I couldn’t claim Rose lacked charm.

It wasn’t that I was swayed by her beauty.

I just didn’t want to lie.

…Anyway.

While I stood frozen with all kinds of thoughts swirling in my head, Rose Bly seemed to take my silence a different way. She grew restless and even began confessing her past wrongs.

“Or is it because of what happened last time? The article that humiliated your fiancée? I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d hate it that much. I only did it because I was feeling spiteful. You kissed her, after all… in front of everyone.”

She was referring to what had happened on the first day I possessed this body.

That explained it. No wonder the newspaper article the next day had targeted Josephine so specifically.

“So that was the reason?”

When I finally opened my mouth, Rose Bly seemed to take it as a sign that my anger had subsided.

She tugged slightly at my collar. Her gestures were filled with seduction.

“I’m just a pathetic woman who’s a little greedier and more jealous than most. That’s why you have to hold me. I’m your woman… right?”

As she said that, she naturally leaned into my arms.

She gently grasped my hand, guiding it to hold her, then rested her forehead against my chest with a soft thud.

Looking up at me with pleading eyes, I silently repeated Josephine’s name ten times in my mind.

It wasn’t completely ineffective.

But even so…by the time I came to my senses, my arm was already wrapped around Rose Bly’s shoulder.

Damn it.

“Just stay a little longer. It’s already late. The exhibition’s almost over, and everyone else has probably gone home by now. No one’s going to care about us. Actually… I rented this suite for the night. Nice, right?”

Perfume, the scent of her skin, the deep fragrance of roses.

Soft, sensual touches and whispers.

All of it was a unified act of seduction aimed at one purpose.

There was a bedroom inside the suite.

But despite all that temptation, I firmly pushed Rose Bly away with a decisive gesture.

Somehow, I managed to hold on to reason.

“Why…?”

Rose Bly was someone who fully understood the power of her looks.

Which is why she seemed genuinely shocked that her charm had no effect.

Knowing I couldn’t resist a second attempt, I gave a short reply.

“We’ll talk later.”

“Later? When exactly will we meet again?”

Of course, I couldn’t answer.

Because that “later” didn’t actually exist.

If I got caught, my fiancée would be coming after me with a knife. How was I supposed to meet her?

After thinking about what Winter Winslet would most likely say, I finally opened my mouth.

“Rosie.”

“Mhmm?”

“I’m not into clingy women.”

Unfortunately, Rose Bly was left speechless with her mouth slightly open in shock.