Episode 5

Killian seemed to be quick-witted.

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.

“So..”

Killian’s gaze reached Jenny again.

Jenny was surprised and nodded when he gave her enough space to get out of the way.

“Yes! Yes!”

Jenny, who recognized Killian’s signal, bowed and left the attic and rushed down the stairs.

There were only two left in such an old attic.

“..The place is not good to talk in.”

Sophia belatedly removed the messy clothes.

However, even if she removed the objects, she couldn’t get rid of the shabby feeling.

It was impossible to cover mold on the walls or cracked boards on the ceiling side.

But Killian didn’t seem to mind.

“Can I come in?”

“How can I stop you?”

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.

“As you can see, there’s no tea table..”

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, “It’s okay”.

“Sit down, because Your Excellency is covering the light.”

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.

“It’s really shabby, right?”

“Yes.”

He casually looked around the room and replied.

‘You seem like the male lead who doesn’t say empty words.’

“Do I need to introduce myself?”

“What self-introduction is needed while we’re engaged?”

When Sophia shook her head, Killian nodded and immediately brought up the subject.

“Have you seen Mrs. Chanelia’s Weekly?”

“I didn’t see it in person, but I heard everything about it.”

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.

“It seems that an anonymous report on the lady went to Mrs. Chanelia.”

“That’s right.”

“There are rumors circulating that the lady is a maid. Since the morning, everyone has been talking about it.”

“Does it mean that I became a celebrity?”

“You interpret it very positively.”

Killian’s expression was quite stiff.

“Anyway, I don’t know who reported it with malice..”

“Oh, I’m the one who reported it.”

Sophia stopped him from talking. Then Killian’s forehead creased.

“You report this article?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“As you can see, my status is not much different from that of a maid. I wanted to move to a better room at least.”

When Killian heard the answer, he laughed.

“So you included my name in the gossip?”

“The title ‘Sophia Frauss, Living in an Attic in Misery’ is not very attractive.”

Sophia shrugged.

“That’s why you falsely declared yourself as a maid in disguise..?”

Killian did not hide his unpleasant tone.

However, Sophia replied calmly.

“I didn’t know things would get this big, and I didn’t expect it to be on the front page.”

When she first sent the article, Sophia was worried that her informative letter would be ignored.

If it doesn’t appear in this week’s 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 didn’t know it would be on the front page.

“This has put me in trouble too. Moreover, people will suspect that you may really be a maid.”

“But thanks to that, I got to see my fiance’s face for the first time.”

Killian’s eyes trembled as Sophia smiled.

She seemed to know that he was too indifferent to his fiance.

“And with this kind of rumor, I thought my family would move actively.”

Sophia looked at the attic.

When writing to Mrs. Chanelia’s tabloid, she agonized over what would attract people’s attention.

She could lament her miserable condition or write and send the story of her wicked stepmother.

‘But Sophia Frauss is too weak to attract the public’s attention..’

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 it’s Prince Killian Viprons Rivelon?

He was a star that social circles are interested in.

‘This was the highly developed ‘aggression strategy’ to survive the flood of modern social information.’

Sophia and Killian’s engagement a month ago was one of the most recent issues. Therefore, the word “Killian’s fiancee” 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.

“In my family, I have to prove to the public that I’m not a maid. If I want to maintain my engagement with Your Excellency.”

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.

“What would you do if I heard this rumor and asked to break the engagement off?”

“Hmm.. Then there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s not something I can stop.”

“Are you serious?”

“If that happens, will I be living on the roof, instead of the attic? Or will I be kicked out?”

Sophia murmured, looking up at the ceiling of the attic which was squealing from the wind.

Killian frowned at her attitude.

He couldn’t figure out what the hell she was thinking, but Sophia was relaxed.

‘The male protagonist never breaks his marriage for this kind of thing.’

Because it was very familiar with ropan’s law.

“So are you planning to break the marriage? If you’re going to do it, I’ll need to prepare in advance.”

At Sophia’s sly question, Killian pressed his head hard.

Of course, he didn’t 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.

“What were you going to do if this rumor got out of hand? What if the rumors don’t affect the family?”

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.

“If you’re in trouble, you can reveal who the reporter was.”

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 didn’t seem to be a very good way to Killian.

“If I reveal that it’s a self-written report, it’ll be harder for you.”

“What do you mean, a self-written report? You want me to be beaten up?”

When Sophia widened her eyes, Killian’s eyes narrowed.

“Didn’t you say that you wrote it yourself?”

“But you can’t say it’s me when you reveal the informant.”

“Then..”

“There are many people who can be informants instead of me.”

Jenny, or the Countess whom she doesn’t like..

Sophia smiled with her eyes bent beautifully.

“People will believe more in the story that the person who is vindictive of me is framing me.”

Evidence could be hidden in a person’s 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.

“..You’re a little different from what I’ve heard.”

“Really? What did you hear?”

“Weak, passive, and timid.”

Killian criticized Sophia’s original appearance.

“It’s a rumor that fits well with the lady hiding in the attic.”

Sophia nodded.

‘I’m sure Sophia was like that.’

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 couldn’t be confident that Sophia’s body was healthy even now.

That can’t be because she couldn’t eat properly and stayed in a poor environment.

But the Sophia now will be different in the future.

“I hope you like my appearance, which is different from the rumors.”

Sophia smiled brightly.

Then Killian’s stiff mouth gently loosened.

“Certainly, this place doesn’t suit you.”

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.

“Let’s go together, to a place that suits you.”