For a writer, their work was like their child. To have your child stolen and then be accused of being the thief…

Debbie headed to the tailor shop, deeply pondering how she might help Ashley. The shop was tucked away in an alley with its back to the busy streets, making it rather inconspicuous.

Just as she was about to turn the corner, she bumped into someone.

“Oh!”

The props she had brought for alterations rolled across the ground, but it was the other person who fell to the floor.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am!”

The other party was an elegant noblewoman.

“I should have been more careful.”

Debbie had been walking slowly, while the other person had been rushing.

“Do you know who this person is? How dare you!”

A middle-aged woman who had been following the noblewoman erupted in anger, but the noblewoman raised her hand to silence her.

“I was in a hurry.”

Noticing the woman’s hunted demeanor, Debbie quickly pushed both women into the adjacent alley where two large garbage bins stood.

“Wha—?”

The noblewoman’s confused voice was cut short as the garbage bin lid closed. Debbie calmly gathered her dropped props, just as the sound of military boots approached rapidly.

“Hey, have you seen two noblewomen passing through here?”

A man in knight’s uniform questioned Debbie.

Frowning, Debbie pointed in a completely wrong direction.

“They bumped into me as they ran past. They fled that way without even apologizing!”

The moment the men rushed off in the direction she had indicated, Debbie helped the women out of the bins.

“How insolent!”

The middle-aged woman burst out in anger, but the noblewoman covered her mouth.

“Thank you for helping us.”

The noblewoman smiled gracefully.

“How dare you thank her? Pushing us into garbage bins! I should report you for disrespect…!”

As the middle-aged woman tried to protest again, the noblewoman shook her head.

“Mind your words, Mrs. Strauss.”

Despite hiding from knights, they showed no sign of tension whatsoever. There was a strange composure about them that suggested they weren’t running from wrongdoing but rather enjoying themselves. This made them seem harmless.

However, Debbie hesitated to let them go, as the garbage bin stains looked terribly out of place on the elegant noblewoman. With her graceful demeanor, the stains seemed particularly inappropriate, and she would likely be embarrassed once she realized her condition.

“Why don’t we move somewhere else before they return? I was heading to the tailor shop, where we could take care of those stains and smells.”

At Debbie’s suggestion, the noblewoman smiled brightly.

“That’s an excellent idea.”

The noblewoman studied Debbie for a moment before accepting her offer.

“How can you trust and follow a complete stranger!”

The middle-aged woman clucked her tongue in disapproval, but the noblewoman followed Debbie anyway. Having no choice, the middle-aged woman trailed behind them.

“I’ll have your clothes mended since they got dirty because of me.”

Upon reaching the tailor shop, the noblewoman finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“You’ve been so kind to a stranger. Since I asked for help and chose to follow you, I’ll handle things from here.”

The noblewoman spoke elegantly while glancing at the middle-aged woman.

The middle-aged woman pursed her lips and silently mouthed, “We have no money.”

They had apparently fled without bringing any funds.

To spare her embarrassment, Debbie smiled and replied, “The company has already paid for alterations in advance, so it doesn’t matter how many items we fix. Please accept the help without feeling burdened.”

A tailor approached the noblewoman, gave her clothes to change into, and took her dress away. They then lightly sprinkled water and wiped away the dirty marks with a towel.

“Would you like some tea? The alterations should be finished by then.”

At Debbie’s words, the tailor brought tea that had been prepared. The noblewoman gratefully accepted the cup and took a small sip.

The middle-aged woman fidgeted restlessly, seeming to have much to say, but eventually gave up and quietly drank her tea.

“Aren’t you going to clean that?”

Debbie looked at the noblewoman’s face as she spoke.

“Pardon?”

The noblewoman wore a puzzled expression, but Debbie pointed without hesitation.

“Your mask—aren’t you going to clean it?”

The noblewoman’s expression suddenly hardened.

“Mask?”

“Yes, the white butterfly-shaped mask you’re wearing. There’s some soot on it too. Would you like me to clean it for you?”

“…You can see this?”

The noblewoman asked cautiously. The middle-aged woman kept muttering “Good heavens” under her breath.

“It’s fine. I’ll clean it later.”

“All your items have been altered, ma’am.”

The tailor returned the noblewoman’s dress, now clean and lightly sprayed with perfume. Debbie received all her items from the tailor and stood up.

“I need to get back to the office, so I’ll be going now…”

“You’ve been such a help to me. May I know your name?”

“It’s nothing, really. It didn’t even cost me anything, so please don’t worry about it.”

Debbie smiled and tried to leave.

“I’d feel uncomfortable otherwise.”

The noblewoman stopped her again.

“You really don’t need to thank me. Truly.”

Debbie tried to refuse, but the noblewoman requested her business card with such courtesy that Debbie pulled one from her pocket.

She worried slightly about how the noblewoman might look at her with contempt upon learning she was a junior reporter for an adult magazine.

Hadn’t she herself viewed such publications through colored glasses before joining?

“Debbie Jones, reporter for Troublesome Magazine?”

The noblewoman’s voice trailed off. Debbie felt embarrassed and shifted her gaze.

“I don’t know what you might think, but I’m proud of my work.”

She smiled politely and tried to leave. Surprisingly, the noblewoman beamed with a bright smile and gently held the business card.

“Thank you. If you have time occasionally, may I contact you for companionship?”

Debbie felt somewhat awkward when the noblewoman requested her company.

Being a companion to someone she had just met? What on earth would they talk about?

“Is that burdensome?”

The woman smiled, seemingly reading Debbie’s thoughts.

“Since my marriage, I’ve lived a confined life. Sometimes I want to sneak out, but I never have anyone suitable to call. Think of it as a kind of part-time job offer.”

Debbie couldn’t bring herself to refuse as the woman kept detaining her. The sad story played a part in her decision too.

“I came out today for a change of scenery, but it’s only a matter of time before the knights find me. I’ll have to return soon, but I hope this connection lasts. It’s not often I meet someone so kind.”

She certainly appeared to be from a high-status household. Even to Debbie, who knew little about noble etiquette, the woman’s every movement seemed quite impressive.

Such demeanor and dignity couldn’t be imitated overnight. With the rather calculating thought that building connections with important people might help with her reporting, Debbie nodded.

“Due to the nature of magazine work, I might not be able to keep you company when we have deadlines.”

“That’s fine. I’ll contact you avoiding your deadlines. Actually, I’ve been enjoying Troublesome Magazine myself.”

At the noblewoman’s words, Debbie’s face turned bright red.

* * *

Another exhausting day had ended. Ashley had carried so many prop boxes that she’d lost count.

With an extremely tired face, she massaged her shoulders while gathering her handbag. Someone tapped her shoulder.

“Ashley, would you like to have dinner together?”

It was Debbie.

“No thanks. I’d rather eat at home.”

Ashley declined, but someone else tugged at her sleeve.

“Come on, eat with us.”

It was Emil the proofreader and Black the photographer.

“I feel like having a drink today.”

Eventually, Ashley ended up having dinner with them as Debbie suggested, accompanied by a beer.

Ashley had worked as an assistant for a long time without promotion, while Debbie had suddenly started working as a junior reporter. The two hadn’t really spoken much to each other.

When Debbie approached her casually suggesting dinner, Ashley maintained a guarded, sharp attitude.

Emil and Black chatted with Debbie in place of the silent Ashley.

“Does Benjamin really have a shoe obsession?”

“Can’t you tell? He always looks at people’s ankles first.”

“I’ve read articles about fetishism, but this is the first time I’ve heard of it in person.”

“Debbie, you just don’t know yet, but fetishism is common.”

“They say we should respect preferences that don’t harm others, but Benjamin has stolen our shoes too. He thinks we don’t know just because he plays innocent.”

“Why would someone who earns good money steal shoes?”

“He supposedly likes foot odor. He says worn-out shoes have a certain charm in their creases and peeling polish…”

“Pfft!”

Emil’s comment made Debbie burst into laughter mid-sip of her beer.

Ashley, however, merely picked at her food absentmindedly, showing no interest in eating.

“Ashley.”

Only then did Ashley look at Debbie.

“I heard your writing was stolen.”

At Debbie’s words, tears streamed down Ashley’s face. Emil and Black looked uncomfortable.

They had thought they’d successfully changed the subject, but when she brought it up again, all their efforts to comfort Ashley seemed wasted.

“I’ve also had my writing stolen by that publishing house. Let’s join forces and teach them a lesson.”

As soon as she said this, Ashley grabbed Debbie’s hand and began sobbing openly.

Other customers glanced over, but Debbie patiently listened to everything Ashley had to say.

Though she already knew the story, she understood better than anyone that expressing pent-up feelings could be healing.

The skill Debbie had developed while working at the magazine was listening well to others. By listening with sincere eyes, seeming genuinely captivated by the other person’s story, and showing empathy at the right moments, she could make people lower their guard and share even stories they hadn’t intended to tell.

Debbie had practiced and mastered this skill, naming it the “Allen the Bartender” technique.

“Really, can we actually teach them a lesson?”

Ashley wiped her tears with the back of her hand as she asked.

“This is more interesting than throwing a bomb at Lime Publishing.”

Black, who had been listening, crossed his arms and rubbed his chin.

“But wouldn’t that drag our company into it, whether we like it or not? Shouldn’t we get permission from the editor-in-chief or the president?”

Emil cautiously added.

“Would you do it if we got permission?”

Debbie asked them.

“At first, I thought if I just endured it once, things would be fine. But when left alone, they’ve now harmed Ashley too. Who can guarantee they won’t target other writers’ work in the future?”

Everyone stared at Debbie with their mouths open.

“Can you handle the consequences?”

“They need to learn firsthand that carelessly stealing others’ writing will definitely cause indigestion. That’s why this must be done by none other than Ashley and me.”

Debbie squeezed Ashley’s hand firmly. Ashley looked at Debbie with a solemn expression, then nodded.

* * *

‘I wasn’t planning to come, but here I am again.’

Debbie presented her business card in the lobby of Hotel Delachia and followed the butler into Blake’s residence.

Upon entering the reception room, she wrinkled her brow at the pungent tobacco smoke and fanned the air with her hand.

Blake and Fret were visible among stern-looking people, possibly in a meeting with hotel staff.

“Oh, you’re in a meeting. I’ll come back another time.”

She hadn’t expected to be let in during a meeting, even though she’d been told she could enter anytime by presenting her card.

Rather flustered, Debbie tried to leave quickly, but Blake called out to her.

“We were just finishing up. Come in.”