With a booming voice, Ariel’s door opened.

“Newspaper!”

Merrien had flung the door open without knocking.

However, after opening the door with such vigor, she was momentarily confused by the unexpected scene.

It was almost breakfast time, but instead of food being laid out, the room’s servants were busy grooming Ariel.

“Saint, you’ve arrived.”

The servants welcomed her as if nothing was unusual.

The room’s owner, Ariel, opened his eyes wide, as if he hadn’t expected Merrien to come.

“Merri.”

He made no attempt to hide his true appearance, openly displaying his silver hair.

Judging by how casually he adjusted his sleeves and the servants’ calm expressions, it seemed the explanation was already over.

Merrien raised one eyebrow disapprovingly.

Where was he going at this hour?

She had rushed over as soon as the morning newspaper arrived so they could read it together!

She had even spent the day with her eyes wide open in anticipation.

It seemed she was the only one making a fuss.

“……”

After silently glaring at Ariel, she suddenly realized something.

This was the first time she had visited his room since his healing was completely finished.

Perhaps that’s why his clothes…

Merrien’s gaze slowly examined him from top to bottom.

From his neatly combed bangs to the blue shirt that matched his eyes, and the black uniform.

Though not as formal as what one would wear to an imperial banquet, it was still quite a formal outfit.

‘Ah, he was dressed like that when I ran away too.’

He seemed pleased by her thorough examination, just smiling away.

Really now, she couldn’t help but speak in a blunt voice.

She thought he always wore loose, pure white clothes that looked like patient gowns, or ultra-loose shirts that made him look pitiful and sick.

“Where are you going?”

“I was going to your room.”

“…Huh?”

Merrien’s voice broke pathetically.

Really?

All this formal dressing just to go to my room?

“I thought you’d be curious about today’s newspaper.”

“Ah.”

It seemed their thoughts aligned.

Though it was absurd that the reason he had dressed up so formally from the morning was just for that.

The thick newspaper on the table moved to Merrien’s hands.

While Merrien received the newspaper with shining eyes, Ariel stared intently at her face.

Her eyelids were shadowed and she looked extremely tired, clearly showing that anyone would recognize she hadn’t slept all night.

She looked like she would fall asleep immediately if she forced her eyes closed, but her expression was bright.

“Let’s stay calm.”

Merrien had been anticipating the newspaper so much that she not only muttered this to herself but also took a deep breath while stroking her chest.

Nodding as if resolved, she began to read the newspaper slowly.

[Duke Ariel Hartez was actually the Tower Master?]

The headline was exactly as she had expected.

[The Tower Master, who has been dedicated to exterminating magical beasts, has been revealed to be Duke Ariel Hartez…]

[Are dragons really related to magical beasts? We need to find definitive evidence…]

Merrien’s lungs expanded and contracted greatly.

“That’s a relief. Now people won’t misunderstand like before.”

“Indeed.”

Ariel gently took Merrien’s hand. Surprised by the sudden action, she was soon pulled toward the window.

When she had entered the room, the curtains had completely covered the window.

But now they were drawn back.

The sunlight illuminating the world was so intense that one would burn if standing outside.

Merrien unconsciously frowned at the sight.

Soon, a shadow fell over her head.

It was thanks to Ariel covering her with his large hand.

“Look over there.”

The window opened.

The entrance to the mansion was teeming with people.

Even when he was being cursed due to unfortunate misunderstandings, no one had come all the way to the front of the mansion.

Merrien stuck her face out the window and looked around.

There wasn’t a single familiar face, and no luxurious carriages were in sight.

Which meant…

“They seem to have come to praise us.”

After hearing Ariel’s words, she noticed that everyone was holding something like rolled-up newspapers.

The knights blocked the front, but even from that distance, the sound of “Praise the Tower Master!” could be heard all the way from the outer garden to where they were.

Merrien crossed her arms with an indifferent face.

“Not us, but you. Wow, public opinion has flipped in just one day.”

She had been waiting for the newspaper out of concern that there might be even one negative sentence.

Of course, she had expected public opinion to change.

“Tower Master. We held a noble trial without properly understanding. We would like to apologize…”

Most of the nobles at the noble trial had bowed their heads.

“I apologize for almost slandering Duke Hartez, being deceived by unconfirmed information.”

Even Duke Bernan, who had always been neutral, apologized with an awkward expression.

“Given the situation, let’s maintain the contract with the imperial family, Tower Master.”

Even the Emperor had shown respect in front of everyone.

Fortunately, the contract was maintained as well.

Still, she hadn’t expected the imperial citizens, who hadn’t even seen the trial directly, to change their minds so drastically, as if flipping their palms.

‘Some of those people probably threw eggs in front of the prince’s palace.’

Given how zealous they were to visit the Hartez mansion as soon as they saw the newspaper…

People who were so easily swayed by a single newspaper were quite likely to have done so.

That fact was a bit bitter, but it was certain that everything had been resolved well.

After checking the newspaper and witnessing people’s reactions with her own eyes, it finally felt real that things had worked out.

As her tense nerves calmed down, the sounds from outside no longer seemed so loud.

“I can hear praise for Saint Merrien from time to time as well.”

…From where?

No, she hadn’t even intended to focus, but because of his words, all her attention went to her ears.

She instinctively started to lean her ear toward the window to hear better, but stopped herself.

It was because she didn’t want to give attention to people who weren’t completely on their side.

“…Hmph. It’s too late for that now.”

Merrien pretended not to care about people’s reactions and started reading the newspaper again.

Despite her firm statement, her upper body was gradually leaning toward the window.

Ariel covered his mouth and chuckled.

She deliberately ignored him, knowing that if she reacted, he might tease her with strange comments.

Then she flipped through the newspaper.

Wait, but.

“This isn’t the newspaper I usually read?”

Something had felt unfamiliar from the start.

As she flipped through, she realized the newspaper company was different from the one she usually read.

“Yes. The previous newspaper company suddenly had their office blown up and their employees went missing.”

“…I see.”

That’s really suspicious.

Merrien hugged the newspaper to her chest for no particular reason.

Whether they were bribed with money or threatened with power, it was clear that pressure had been applied to the previous newspaper company.

Most likely, Forcite was responsible.

Or it could have been done by Ariel, angered by the absurd articles.

It was one of the two.

Merrien’s already displeased face grew cold.

But she didn’t particularly want to ask who had done it.

After suffering from this incident for so long, she had no energy left to think about it.

With her mind complicated, she half-closed her eyes.

If this was going to happen, she should have just slept properly.

Ah, I don’t know.

“Let’s just eat.”

Merrien casually threw the newspaper aside and sat at the table first.

Ariel, seemingly determined to truly become Whitey, trotted over and sat right next to her.

‘Haah…’

Already exhausted before even starting the meal, she sighed inwardly.

***

“I was under mind control?”

Merrien’s hand didn’t make it to the salad plate.

Tak-.

She put her fork down on the table with a sound.

“Yes. To be precise, it’s complicated, but it was a mind control that would make you trigger something like a bomb placed inside your body. That prince threatened to detonate it if I revealed that I was the Tower Master.”

“…Forcite?”

It was hard to believe.