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Nicholas Moore.
A famous military archivist mentioned in the novel.
By the way, Nicholas Moore is a pen name he used since he was young, and his real name was not revealed until the end of the novel.
Nicholas’s life as described in the original novel goes something like this.
Nicholas was an orphan, living with his sister and struggling to make ends meet.
At that time, Nicholas’s paintings were not very popular, and he could only manage to make ends meet by doing odd jobs.
The two siblings go through all kinds of hardships and adversity and finally become adults.
Just when they believe that his sister would be able to marry a good man and finally be happy.
The demons invade the human world once again.
His sister and her husband are brutally murdered by the demons.
Fueled by anger, Nicholas enlists in the army to defeat the demon king with Lakius.
After that, he made a name for himself by depicting the horrors of war.
He was especially known for his vivid painting style and his ability to penetrate the heart.
“…….”
I furrowed my brow.
Suddenly, I understood why humans had no choice but to hate demons.
But–
‘There’s no need to let Nicholas suffer like this again, is there?’
To be honest, we still don’t know if this Nicholas Moore is really the same Nicholas Moore described in the original story.
It could just be someone else with the same name.
But it didn’t matter.
I don’t know what the publisher was offering this guy in terms of a contract. At the very least, I’d be able to give him a little more than that.
Plus, I’d have to build up the goodwill of the people around me like this…….
‘And then even if I were to be found out to be a demon, wouldn’t that help save my life?’
Besides…
I lowered my eyes to the ground.
‘…….Even my dads accepted me as their daughter, not knowing what I really am.’
Well, they say children learn from their elders. Sometimes it would be nice to do what they taught me.
Thud.
I slammed the book shut.
It was time to look up Nicholas Moore.
* * *
I asked Nora to contact the illustrator.
Up until this point, I thought it wouldn’t be too hard to get in touch with the illustrator.
“What? The illustrator’s name is a pseudonym?”
I was speechless.
There’s a difference between a pseudonym and a pen name.
A pen name is a name you create for your artistic activities and can be used for all legal activities.
A pseudonym, on the other hand, is a fake name created to hide your identity entirely. Working under a pseudonym means that your artistic career is not recognised.
Nora nodded apologetically.
“Yes, that’s why I couldn’t contact him directly. I’m sorry.”
“No. Have you tried contacting the publisher?”
“Well, they said they couldn’t give me the illustrator’s real name.”
……That’s very strange.
I narrowed my eyes.
Of course, the publisher might not want to.
They might not feel comfortable with me contacting the illustrator after they discovered him first.
I could propose to the publisher that if the illustrator and I signed a contract, we would provide a significant amount of compensation.
Honestly, illustrator’s work for the publisher is probably a one-time thing, so there’s no need to go that far.
But I wanted to make sure that we didn’t waste each other’s time.
Besides, if this guy I found is indeed the original Nicholas Moore…….
“I don’t want to create any problems when we sign a contract with him.”
In the original, he was described as “barely able to put food on the table because his paintings weren’t very popular”.
For someone who actually had to live that life, every day would be a struggle.
Like me and Lakius did.
Maybe that’s why I tried to avoid any situation where Nicholas would be pushed to his limits.
“You said that if we hired the illustrator, we would compensate the publisher for his work. Did you convey that part clearly?”
“Yes, but the publisher’s CEO was very firm in rejecting it.”
“Hmm……..”
By this point, something seemed suspicious.
It wasn’t just any request, it was a request made directly in the name of the Duke Orleans.
Honestly, it was a bit embarrassing for me to say such a thing.
‘If a Duke directly asks a question, wouldn’t most people usually just answer obediently?’
Furthermore, I had even made an offer to compensate them enough to ensure that the publishing company wouldn’t suffer.
But still, they wouldn’t even tell me who the illustrator was?
‘If I were the CEO of the publishing company, I would have immediately connected them with the illustrator.’
Opportunities to be owed a favor by the Duke Orleans don’t come by often. And at this point in time, Nicolas Moore was practically an unknown illustrator.
From the publishing company’s perspective, he wasn’t even a particularly valuable person.
I couldn’t think of a better deal to connect someone like that to the young Lady of the Duke of Orleans and gain something from the Duke of Orleans in return……
There wouldn’t be many profitable deals like this…
“Is it possible for me to go to the publishing company myself?”
Nora smiled at my question.
“If that’s what our miss wishes, of course it’s possible.”
“…….”
Our miss.
The affectionate title made my heart swell for no reason.
Someday, I will have to part ways with Nora and the servants who care for me. Because I’m a demon king and they are human, after all….
“Miss?”
Nora called out worriedly.
“Is something wrong?”
Ah.
I snapped back to reality and quickly and quickly shook my head.
“There’s nothing to it. When do you think we can visit the publisher?”
“Um, just a moment.”
Nora checked the publisher’s address written in the fairy tale book and smiled at me.
“It’s not that far. You can go right away.”
“Really?” I exclaimed as I jumped out of my chair. “Can we leave now then?”
It’s better to strike while the iron is hot, as they say!
“Yes, I’ll take you,” Nora answered readily. Then she glanced at me briefly. “Miss.”
“Yeah?”
Nora hesitated for a moment, then asked me cautiously, “Are you really …….okay?”
“…….”
I paused.
Those kind eyes, that concerned voice.
I knew.
Nora, my dads, and everyone around me.
They all cared about me and wanted to protect me.
‘…… And I’m deceiving them.’
Even if it was for my own survival, it didn’t change the fact that I was deceiving them.
My heart tightened again.
“Well, of course I’m fine!”
I quickly composed myself and grabbed Nora’s hand.
Only after seeing my bright face did she seem to relax a little.
I couldn’t look her straight in the eye.
“Let’s go, shall we?”
I waved our clasped hands together excitedly, and quickly averted my gaze.
* * *
That afternoon.
Nora and I headed to the publishing house.
‘Oh, it’s pretty big, huh?’
However, when we arrived at the publishing house, it was much cleaner than expected.
Judging by the fact that they occupy an entire floor of a building in the center of the island, they must be pretty well funded.
“Excuse me, who are you?” Asked the security guard who managed the building.
“We’re from the Duke Orleans,” Nora calmly replied.
“Oh, Orleans?!”
The guard’s eyes grew wide. After checking the family crest on the carriage we were riding in, he called out again.
“Please wait a moment!”
And with that, he dashed back inside.
After a while, the publisher’s CEO hastily greeted us. The publisher CEO was tall, with a radiant glow on his face that made him look very wealthy indeed.
“Welcome, Lady Orleans,” He greeted me politely. But it was only a polite greeting.
“But as far as I can tell, you didn’t tell me in advance that you were coming to visit our publishing house…….” His narrow eyes looked me up and down, searching. “Since you came so suddenly, I am worried that we may not be able to properly serve you, Lady Orlean,” he added, casting a subtle glance of concern at me.
I could tell he wasn’t pleased with my unexpected visit.
‘Aha, so this is how it is?’ I thought to myself.
Of course, I know that it was proper etiquette to make an appointment before visiting someone.
But since the publishing house’s behavior was suspicious, I couldn’t make an appointment in advance, could I?
How would he behave if he heard about my visit in advance?
Besides…
‘Would he have reacted the same way to someone else who came to visit instead of me?’
As I tried to suppress my rebellious thoughts that were popping up randomly, I put on a sullen expression and replied, “I’m sorry, but I’m actually a fan of the illustrator.”
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