Chapter 56

Alex followed Aneta’s instructions and tracked down the Count of Damon and the Viscount of Eden.

As word spread that the Marquis of Adenauer representative had intervened, the people who had been gossiping quickly lost their fervor.

This was because wails of despair could be heard wherever Alex had been.

Receiving only a lawsuit would have been a better outcome.

However, they were deprived of the privileges they had enjoyed thanks to the Marquis of Adenauer, and as a result, their businesses were now in jeopardy.

Although Eden Viscount’s situation was better than Damon Count’s, it was still dire. The Viscount’s business had succeeded in the first place because of the iron purchased from Adenauer.

Having thrived on the reputation of the iron from the Sender Mine, they now faced the complete cessation of supply, which would inevitably cause severe damage.

‘The fate of their businesses is already sealed.’

Aneta thought, feeling no guilt for her decision. After all, people reap what they sow.

The response to the rumors didn’t end there. Alex, accompanied by the bodyguards assigned by Aneta, continued to make the rounds. The lawsuits against the Count of Damon and the Viscount of Eden were just the beginning of the full-scale legal action.

Meanwhile, Ellen quietly went about his duties. Seeing his restrained behavior, Aneta concluded that he was not someone who would exploit her weaknesses.

With this judgment, Aneta decided to invite Ellen to her mansion to apologize. This decision was in line with Isabel’s suggestion to maintain a consistent meeting location.

“Thank you for making time despite your busy schedule.”

Aneta first expressed her gratitude to Ellen for accepting her request. After a brief exchange of greetings, she immediately began explaining the current situation.

“I plan to resolve this without any leniency and promptly. And this time, I have an apology to make.”

“If it’s regarding this matter, you don’t need to apologize.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not apologizing for the rumors. I didn’t spread them, and the wrongdoers will be held accountable. I’ll make sure you receive an apology from them.”

“If it’s not about the rumors, then what are you apologizing for? Could it be about the sponsorship?”

Ellen seemed fearful that Aneta might cancel the sponsorship due to this incident.

His face darkened, but fortunately, Aneta’s words were not about that.

“It’s related to the sponsorship, but I’m not saying I’m going to stop it, so don’t worry. What I want to apologize for is the reason I chose you as the sponsorship recipient.”

Aneta took a moment to gather her thoughts. Eventually, she began to reveal a fact she had not mentioned until now.

“When I first saw your paintings at Levefra’s gallery, I was honestly surprised. Your artistic style was very similar to that of my late mother.”

Aneta recalled each of Ellen’s paintings; the remnants of the past, which she thought had faded away, were now swirling in her mind.

“I sought you out, even hiring a guild, and decided to sponsor you because of that. I’m sorry for not only projecting someone else onto your paintings but also for only now revealing this fact. I sincerely apologize.”

Aneta conveyed her apology to Ellen with sincerity. Her posture showed she was prepared to accept any criticism as she humbly bowed her head.

“Your Ladyship, please don’t do this.”

Ellen was flustered by her straightforward demeanor. He fidgeted nervously but tried to calm himself down.

“Please raise your head. I don’t believe you have any reason to apologize to me.”

“But—”

“I had already noticed that you were overlaying someone else on my paintings. So please, don’t worry too much about it.”

Even if Aneta showed signs of disagreement, Ellen remained firm. He looked at her with resolute eyes.

“Honestly, I didn’t mind at all. Thanks to my resemblance to your mother’s style, I received an exceptional opportunity.”

Aneta had previously only sponsored female artists. If the artistic style had been even slightly different, Ellen would not have had the chance to receive this sponsorship. Ellen was well aware of this fact.

“Forgive me for saying this, but I believe I have been taking advantage of that. Since I was aware of it but remained silent, I don’t deserve to receive an apology from Your Ladyship.”

Ellen briefly watched Aneta for any signs but continued speaking without hesitation.

“I just want to keep painting.”

In that moment of newfound determination, Aneta saw Elena’s image in him once more.

“So, what do you want me to do for you, Your Ladyship?”

“Do for me? What do you mean?”

“I was wondering if you wanted something from me, like the paintings I’ll create in the future.”

“That’s not the case.”

Did he think Aneta had brought him here to demand his paintings, driven by the nostalgia for her mother? Aneta firmly corrected this mistaken assumption.

“It seems you’ve misunderstood something. While I did see my mother in your work, I didn’t start supporting you because I wanted something. I have no intention of forcing you to paint for me.”

Had that been her intention, she would have initially made a condition to purchase all his paintings. Alternatively, she could have imposed other conditions to form a contract based on them.

After all, Aneta had the financial capability to pay whatever amount Ellen requested.

Considering she had such an easy method at her disposal, there was no reason for her to make an irrational choice. She continued her explanation.

“I sought you out because I wanted you to achieve the dream my mother couldn’t. I wanted to help and watch you fulfill your dream and complete your paintings. That’s my genuine intention and sincere wish.”

Aneta paused to catch her breath and met Ellen’s eyes. Her gaze was profoundly earnest, seeing the same colors as her own.

“So you don’t need to worry about anything else. Just focus on achieving your goal.”

This sentiment wasn’t limited to Ellen alone. Aneta wanted to convey the same message to all the artists she sponsored. Ellen, moved by her sincere words, looked at Aneta with astonished eyes.

Aneta wanted to ask what had surprised him, but she couldn’t, as someone appeared through the open door.

“Aneta, I heard you were here.”

“Carlos.”

Carlos had something rolled up in his hand.

As he stepped inside, he glanced at the person sitting opposite Aneta, already knowing who it was.

Carlos was aware that the visitor was the rumored artist.

However, the moment he laid eyes on Ellen, Carlos couldn’t help but be taken aback.

It was because Ellen’s face overlapped with the portrait of Elena he had seen at Derek’s funeral.

His appearance was like Elena’s, and his aura resembled Aneta’s. The scene was so convincing that one might believe he was a hidden member of the Adenauer family.

Carlos clicked his tongue inwardly.

The way they sat side by side resembled that of siblings. Yet Carlos couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy.

Carlos had to suppress the negative emotions that arose as he recalled Aneta’s heartfelt words to Ellen. He made sure not to reveal them outwardly.

“What brings you here?”

“I came to report the results of the task you asked me about the other day. But first, I think I should ask the guest to leave.”

Though he was speaking to Aneta, his gaze remained fixed on Ellen. The meaning was clear.

Ellen sensed what Carlos wanted and looked at Aneta. She nodded in agreement with his silent query. With a final apology, she let Ellen leave. Carlos, who had been watching Ellen’s movements, then approached Aneta.

“Why did you tell Ellen to leave? If it’s about the source of the rumor, he could listen too.”

Aneta, who had initially followed his suggestion, questioned the incomprehensible action.

“Well, let’s just say I didn’t feel like it.”

The reason was rather lukewarm. Carlos wanted to shift the topic to the main point.

“That’s not the important thing right now. Based on the timeline you provided, I’ve found the original spreader of the rumor.”

“Already? I thought it would take at least a couple of weeks to find them.”

Aneta asked, calculating that the duration could be shortened more than she had expected.

“Who was it?”

The question was straightforward and to the point.

“His name is Jaime. He’s a journalist working at a third-rate tabloid newspaper called ‘Tristan’.”

As the familiar name came out of Carlos’s mouth, Aneta racked her brain. It didn’t take long for her to recall the incompetent journalist she had met at Madam Lefevra’s gallery. Aneta furrowed her brow.

“That reporter, Jaime, didn’t he work for ‘Hermione’ newspaper as well?”

She didn’t even hope for a namesake. Carlos confirmed her suspicion.

“Yes. He’s been lamenting about losing a decent job because of you.”

“He caused such a ridiculous scene in front of me that I gave him a hard time, and it seems his superiors were already set on firing him. But I didn’t expect there would be another place willing to take him.”

It was understandable why it had taken so long to track down such a small-time origin. Unlike her previous world, finding a single piece of information in this one often took days.

“The very name of the newspaper suggests chaos. It’s a low-quality tabloid that publishes articles that are nothing but nonsense.”

Carlos unrolled the newspaper he had been holding and placed it in front of Aneta. It was filled with nonsensical gossip, including a piece about her.

“The date on this is the earliest among all the articles we’ve seen so far.”

Aneta checked the name of the article’s author. As expected, Jaime’s name was written at the bottom.

“It’s not just the article. He seems to have been actively spreading the rumors as well. I’ve already secured a witness, so don’t worry.”

“He put a lot of effort into his nonsense. Thanks for your help during this busy time, Carlos.”

“Don’t mention it. I just did what I could for you.”

In response to Aneta’s gratitude, Carlos realized that, as he had initially promised, he could no longer be directly involved in this matter.

“I’ll make sure the lawsuit is filed as soon as possible, maybe even tomorrow. We’ll also have him apologize to Ellen.”

The mention of Ellen’s name ignited a small flame of jealousy within Carlos.

“Aneta, I think you should keep your distance from that artist.”

“Because of the rumor?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

Carlos knew how Aneta felt about the artist without needing her to say it. Yet, he chose to express his jealousy rather than hide it.

“I’m jealous.”