As he said, the countess had no intention of leaving Sophia and Killian alone.
This was because she was worried that Sophia would say nonsense.
âSoâŚâ
Killianâs gaze reached Jenny again.
Jenny was surprised and nodded when he gave her enough space to get out of the way.
âYes! Yes!â
Jenny, who recognized Killianâs signal, bowed and left the attic and rushed down the stairs.
There were only two left in such an old attic.
ââŚThe place is not good to talk in.â
Sophia belatedly removed the messy clothes.
However, even if she removed the objects, she couldnât get rid of the shabby feeling.
It was impossible to cover mold on the walls or cracked boards on the ceiling side.
But Killian didnât seem to mind.
âCan I come in?â
âHow can I stop you?â
As he entered the room, the floor creaked along his steps.
The ceiling was so low that he had to bend down.
It was a humble attitude that did not go well with the Duke.
âAs you can see, thereâs no tea tableâŚâ
Sophia pulled the only old chair and turned it in the direction of the bed, urging him to sit down.
Then Killian shook his head, saying, âItâs okayâ.
âSit down, because Your Excellency is covering the light.â
Sophia pointed to the attic, which became even darker because of his tall height.
Eventually, he did sit in the old chair, and Sophia sat on the edge of the bed.
Killian took off his gloves and put them on the desk.
âItâs really shabby, right?â
âYes.â
He casually looked around the room and replied.
âYou seem like the male lead who doesnât say empty words.â
âDo I need to introduce myself?â
âWhat self-introduction is needed while weâre engaged?â
When Sophia shook her head, Killian nodded and immediately brought up the subject.
âHave you seen Mrs. Chaneliaâs Weekly?â
âI didnât see it in person, but I heard everything about it.â
Then Killian took the weekly magazine out of his arms and handed it over.
Sophia has read a weekly magazine that stirred up the area since morning.
The article in the weekly magazine changed more stimulatingly through the hands of the editor.
âIt seems that an anonymous report on the lady went to Mrs. Chanelia.â
âThatâs right.â
âThere are rumors circulating that the lady is a maid. Since the morning, everyone has been talking about it.â
âDoes it mean that I became a celebrity?â
âYou interpret it very positively.â
Killianâs expression was quite stiff.
âAnyway, I donât know who reported it with maliceâŚâ
âOh, Iâm the one who reported it.â
Sophia stopped him from talking. Then Killianâs forehead creased.
âYou report this article?â
âYes.â
âWhy?â
âAs you can see, my status is not much different from that of a maid. I wanted to move to a better room at least.â
When Killian heard the answer, he laughed.
âSo you included my name in the gossip?â
âThe title âSophia Frauss, Living in an Attic in Miseryâ is not very attractive.â
Sophia shrugged.
âThatâs why you falsely declared yourself as a maid in disguiseâŚ?â
Killian did not hide his unpleasant tone.
However, Sophia replied calmly.
âI didnât know things would get this big, and I didnât expect it to be on the front page.â
When she first sent the article, Sophia was worried that her informative letter would be ignored.
If it doesnât appear in this weekâs weekly magazine, she planned to send a letter to another place next week.
As it was an anonymous contribution, she thought it would be fortunate if it was published anywhere in the weekly magazine.
She didnât know it would be on the front page.
âThis has put me in trouble too. Moreover, people will suspect that you may really be a maid.â
âBut thanks to that, I got to see my fianceâs face for the first time.â
Killianâs eyes trembled as Sophia smiled.
She seemed to know that he was too indifferent to his fiance.
âAnd with this kind of rumor, I thought my family would move actively.â
Sophia looked at the attic.
When writing to Mrs. Chaneliaâs tabloid, she agonized over what would attract peopleâs attention.
She could lament her miserable condition or write and send the story of her wicked stepmother.
âBut Sophia Frauss is too weak to attract the publicâs attentionâŚâ
Few people in society know Sophia.
Her laments which have never been heard of will not receive much attention.
No, the story will just be tossed.
There are more than just one or two people living in misery in the world.
But what if itâs Prince Killian Viprons Rivelon?
He was a star that social circles are interested in.
âThis was the highly developed âaggression strategyâ to survive the flood of modern social information.â
Sophia and Killianâs engagement a month ago was one of the most recent issues. Therefore, the word âKillianâs fianceeâ itself had great attention.
She felt sorry for Killian, who stayed still and got tied into this, but she thought it was appropriate for him to pay for neglecting his fiancee, who was in the attic all month long.
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âIn my family, I have to prove to the public that Iâm not a maid. If I want to maintain my engagement with Your Excellency.â
To do this, Sophia should be treated like a noble girl.
Change rooms, dress her properly, and show her to people.
Then Killian burst into laughter.
âWhat would you do if I heard this rumor and asked to break the engagement off?â
âHmm⌠Then thereâs nothing I can do about it. Itâs not something I can stop.â
âAre you serious?â
âIf that happens, will I be living on the roof, instead of the attic? Or will I be kicked out?â
Sophia murmured, looking up at the ceiling of the attic which was squealing from the wind.
Killian frowned at her attitude.
He couldnât figure out what the hell she was thinking, but Sophia was relaxed.
âThe male protagonist never breaks his marriage for this kind of thing.â
Because it was very familiar with ropanâs law.
âSo are you planning to break the marriage? If youâre going to do it, Iâll need to prepare in advance.â
At Sophiaâs sly question, Killian pressed his head hard.
Of course, he didnât mean to break up the marriage.
He just wanted to scare that woman who spoke fearlessly.
However, his threats did not seem to work.
Killian sighed quietly.
âWhat were you going to do if this rumor got out of hand? What if the rumors donât affect the family?â
She knew the fear of rumors.
People only believe what they want to believe. Assuming a situation, everything was interpreted accordingly.
It was harder to prove that she was not a maid than to prove that she was a maid.
But, his fiancee smiled brightly.
âIf youâre in trouble, you can reveal who the reporter was.â
Sophia was not a fool.
She left evidence to prove that she was an anonymous informant, such as seals and scraps stamped on the informant envelope just in case.
But it didnât seem to be a very good way to Killian.
âIf I reveal that itâs a self-written report, itâll be harder for you.â
âWhat do you mean, a self-written report? You want me to be beaten up?â
When Sophia widened her eyes, Killianâs eyes narrowed.
âDidnât you say that you wrote it yourself?â
âBut you canât say itâs me when you reveal the informant.â
âThenâŚâ
âThere are many people who can be informants instead of me.â
Jenny, or the Countess whom she doesnât likeâŚ
Sophia smiled with her eyes bent beautifully.
âPeople will believe more in the story that the person who is vindictive of me is framing me.â
Evidence could be hidden in a personâs room in the same house.
It was difficult to prove that she was not a maid, but it was easier than you think to prove that she was a maid.
Gossip could always be covered with bigger gossip.
Killian stared at Sophia, who smiled leisurely.
ââŚYouâre a little different from what Iâve heard.â
âReally? What did you hear?â
âWeak, passive, and timid.â
Killian criticized Sophiaâs original appearance.
âItâs a rumor that fits well with the lady hiding in the attic.â
Sophia nodded.
âIâm sure Sophia was like that.â
She would have been so weak that she could not rebel even if Jenny brought soup with bugs.
In addition, when she first woke up possessed, she almost collapsed from dizziness.
Of course, she couldnât be confident that Sophiaâs body was healthy even now.
That canât be because she couldnât eat properly and stayed in a poor environment.
But the Sophia now will be different in the future.
âI hope you like my appearance, which is different from the rumors.â
Sophia smiled brightly.
Then Killianâs stiff mouth gently loosened.
âCertainly, this place doesnât suit you.â
He stood up, picking up the gloves he had taken off.
Standing against the window, his silhouette stood out due to the backlight.
Sophia looked at him blankly, overwhelmed by his tall height and intense silhouette.
And his eyes also turned toward Sophia.
âLetâs go together, to a place that suits you.â