Chapter 7

“Isn’t it possible to pressure them to take down the article?”

“…A noble can’t suppress the freedom of the press. We have to approach this peacefully. It’s better to persuade them to retract it, tying it to diplomatic issues.”

Dione repeatedly inhaled and exhaled, trying hard to calm herself as she gripped the newspaper and began to walk. It seemed best to quickly bring in an aide. After all, she couldn’t personally run around and retrieve every copy of the paper…

She briefly considered just leaving things alone, but soon shook her head. If she did nothing, most people would think it wasn’t because it was false and she didn’t care, but because it was true and she couldn’t say anything.

It was better to let it be known she was intervening because it could become a diplomatic issue.

Hugo left, saying he’d try to collect at least the nearby newspapers, leaving only Mary and Dione sighing deeply in the hall. Dione could handle it, but what about Raihan’s reputation?

If a scandal like this happened to her, it wouldn’t be enough to ruin her chances of marriage, but if it wasn’t the case for him, things could get very complicated. He was a prince from another country, and the head of the delegation, so she had to consider handling the national embarrassment…

Mary, watching Dione lost in thought, cautiously asked a question.

“I’ve always wondered… Why don’t you just marry anyone? It’s not like you were told to find true love…”

“How would you even write something like that in a will?”

Mary glanced at the photo of Raihan in the newspaper article. Dione, seeing her, sighed once and shared what she’d realized as soon as she heard the will’s contents.

“Grandmother… by not putting nuances like that in, was basically telling me to ‘find the one I’ll settle down with.’ How could I not know…”

Her grandmother had lived with her all her life. She’d taught, guided, sometimes kindly, sometimes strictly raised her. How could Dione not know her intentions? All of it was love for her, so she couldn’t help but follow those words, written with affection to the very end.

“Then what about the deadline?”

“That’s… just a family tradition.”

“A tradition?”

“It’s a long story.”

Mary still looked puzzled, but Dione didn’t have the energy to explain everything.

“…First, let’s contact Chronicles Weekly.”

Dione believed that with persuasion, nothing was impossible.

But the situation unfolded completely differently from her expectations. In fact, in the worst way.

“They’re not answering. They’re not even coming in to work, so it looks like they’ve gone into hiding…”

“Sigh…”

As if expecting this, the editor-in-chief of Chronicles Weekly had vanished without a trace. She couldn’t just go find him and threaten him.

The newspaper is distributed at 6 a.m. to families who subscribed. Their family wasn’t unpopular among the nobles, so if they wanted to collect copies, it wouldn’t be impossible.

But as times changed, newspapers were no longer exclusive to nobles. What this meant was, they had spread to the commoners as well. Of course, some old-fashioned newspapers still sold only to nobles.

“Chronicles Weekly is a pretty open company. It was the first to sell newspapers to commoners.”

“I heard from the attendants earlier that it’s already spread everywhere.”

“I figured as much.”

It wasn’t as if she could snatch away what people were reading.

Even if she couldn’t retrieve all the copies, she had to at least stop future sales. If only she had been swept up alone, it would be one thing, but the problem was that Raihan was involved too.

If news spread that a prince from the delegation spent the night with a foreign noble, nothing good would come of it.

‘Well, he’s already gone back, so maybe it doesn’t matter much…’

Even so, she couldn’t just stand by while someone who had listened to her worries and treated her kindly became the subject of a low-grade scandal with her. At least, that’s what Dione thought.

She was clutching her forehead, deep in thought, when Hugo’s words brought her back.

“I found out at the newspaper office—Chronicles Weekly’s biggest investor is Duke Schwitz.”

“Duke Schwitz…”

Duke Schwitz was a man Dione had only met a few times. Strangely enough. Both families supported the Crown Prince as the next emperor, and their status was similar, yet…

So she’d thought maybe he was avoiding her. But when they did meet, he didn’t seem that way, which made it even more puzzling.

Anyway, the editor-in-chief couldn’t ignore the words of their biggest investor.

“If it’s Duke Schwitz, we’ll be able to talk. Thank goodness it’s not Duke Fresnel.”

Duke Fresnel was truly an old-fashioned, stubborn man—one of a kind in this era. Then again, someone like him would never invest in a progressive paper like Chronicles Weekly.

Glancing at the clock, she saw it was nearing 3 p.m.

Since the big event had ended yesterday, the Duke probably wouldn’t be at the palace. So to meet him, she’d have to go to the ducal residence.

“Prepare the carriage.”

* * *

After the butler of the Schwitz mansion quietly brought out tea, it wasn’t long before the Duke himself knocked on the door. Her visit was certainly unexpected, yet Duke Schwitz greeted her with a calm face, as if he’d known everything all along.

‘Of course, keeping a straight face is a noble’s virtue.’

The man who entered the drawing room was, at a glance, so strikingly handsome that anyone would comment, Duke Yurik Schwitz.

Yurik Schwitz was not someone one could easily meet. If Raihan was kindness made flesh, this man was like coldness personified.

His platinum hair shone as if a piece of sunlight had been carefully torn off, and his sharp, blue eyes drew everyone’s gaze. Rather than neat, his features were so clear and defined that they could intimidate others.

Because of this, rumors often circulated in high society:

‘If you want to survive, don’t stand next to Yurik Schwitz.’

The Duke was so striking that anyone standing beside him would look plain by comparison, or so many claimed.

Anyway, facing such a fearsomely handsome man, Dione tried to keep calm. She remembered being wide-eyed in surprise the first time they met, but now she seemed okay.

‘Maybe it’s thanks to Prince Raihan…’

They were different types of handsome, but both exceeded the standard, so she could remain composed.

“Young Heiress Estellon, it’s been a while.”

“It has. The last time I saw you was two months ago.”

After a brief greeting, a shallow silence settled in the drawing room. The man sitting elegantly with his legs crossed in front of her looked like a sculpture…

‘Focus.’

“Sorry to visit so suddenly today. The reason is…”

“It must be because of the Chronicles Weekly article.”

Her worries about how to bring it up were pointless, as Yurik bluntly mentioned the newspaper by name, leaving her momentarily speechless. How could he be so direct?

When Dione froze in surprise, Yurik raised an eyebrow.

“Isn’t it?”

“…No, you’re right. Then you must have guessed what I wanted to talk about.”

The man took a sip of tea and sighed softly.

“Of course. Wouldn’t I be a fool not to?”

With that, Dione felt there was no need to hesitate. She spoke quickly and clearly, getting straight to the point.

“Then, please retrieve all copies of the September 9th issue of Chronicles Weekly that was published this morning.”

She knew her request was realistically impossible. Especially since today’s edition had already spread throughout the capital.

But in negotiation, the basic strategy was to start with a bigger demand than you intended, and if the other party resisted, guide them toward the condition you actually had in mind.

That’s why she deliberately used the word ‘retrieve all copies.’

She’d expected the Duke to show at least a hint of surprise, but, proving he was not easily shaken, he placed his teacup on the saucer without so much as raising an eyebrow.