A Handsome K*nky Gangster Reporter - Chapter 70

#70

“I prefer women with small feet like this. And I hope she is a woman whose second toe is no longer than her thumb. This is necessary to me, so you have to make sure to add it in the newspaper.”

“Oh! Sure thing. Hahaha.”

The Grand Duke of the North had a foot fetish. No matter how she was going to write this, it wouldn’t sound good.

He wasn’t a bad person who is dignified as a senior noble or has a different appearance and mind. However, an overly honest side wouldn’t be popular with women either.

‘The interview about his ideal type is already a mess. Let’s move on to the topic he’s interested in these days.’

I felt tasked to add good rhetoric about him somehow. I couldn’t let the northern Grand Duke got rumors that could cause him to lose his reputation. At least as reporters, they should be living up to people’s expectations, shouldn’t they?

“Could it be that there are activities or hobbies that His Grace has been engaging in lately? Such as hunting and fencing to show off your masculinity?”

It was a question with an intent that strongly encouraged answers.

“Me? I like to lie in bed and read books.”

“Your hobby must be reading. You fit the intellectual type. Can you introduce your favorite book to the reader?”

“Yes! I love this book.”

It was as if Haley had been waiting to ask that question. The servant handed a book to the Grand Duke.

“It turns out that this book was published by that company. Do you know who the author is? I’d like to get the author’s signature here.”

The book shown by the Grand Duke was ‘The Red’. I felt satisfied knowing that the book I wrote was popular until the North. However, it would be better if the one who show this book to public wasn’t the Grand Duke of the North.

“Hahaha. The author is me. I will give you a sign.”

‘When it comes to books, I should write that he likes to read a wide variety of topics, regardless of the type.’

There were too many issues that needed to be taken care of in today’s interview. My head started to hurt. Mary, who seemed to notice my expression, interrupted our conversation.

“Hey, why don’t you take a photo for the newspaper first?”

Good timing, Mary.

Haley quietly gave Mary a thumbs up and approached the camera that had been set up earlier. Then, Duke Mordred couldn’t hide his embarrassed face.

“Wait a moment. I’ll change my clothes and come back. Please give me a moment.”

Duke, who appeared a while later, came out wearing a top that was way bigger than his body. Since it was large and didn’t match his weak lower body, he appeared slightly ridiculous. Several layers of fabric were added to the shoulders to give it exaggerated strength like inserting a mulberry in there. This outfit complemented the narrow shoulders of the Northern Grand Duke to some extent. However, it was true that the changed Duke seemed a bit awkward.

“Uhm, Your Grace. What happened to the outfit?”

“Oh, if I’m here. Please photograph my upper body here to emphasize the broad shoulders here. Got it?”

It was very different from Claude as someone had very good body proportions that she included a full body photo in the newspaper. However, the Grand Duke of Mordred only asked to include a photo of his upper body. He seemed to want to hide his somewhat stunted physique. When shooting with a camera, the awkwardness would be less noticeable, so in a way it was also a clever way.

“Haha. Of course. All right. Can you stand by the window?”

In order to make his face appeared brighter with the help of the sunlight. Not only that, the maid was asked to use a large mirror as a reflector and place it facing the lower part of his face. After taking a picture of it, I looked at it with a camera lens, and the freckles disappeared and it came out quite nice.

‘It’s a good thing that photos of this world are still black and white. Oh, Lord.’

If the photo was colored, there would obviously be complaints from the imperial family or the Grand Duke saying they didn’t like it.

Click. Click.

“Yes, sir. In that case, shall we wrap up the shoot and continue with the interview again?”

“Wait! How about I lie down on the sofa like this?”

My expression stiffened at his words. He seemed to read my expression, which must have seemed very unpleasant. Then, Mordred Eaton made an awkward excuse.

“Ah, is it so bad that the model is too similar to the Red model? Does it look a bit frivolous?”

‘Hahaha. You know it very well.’

I agreed when he asked if he looked frivolous with an awkward smile without even answering it. Among the unmarried nobles I’ve met, they often only believe the words spread by the priests at the temple and refuse to take photos.

Only later did they realize that interviews without photos in newspapers didn’t help them much. From then on, unmarried noble children actively cooperated in photography.

The Grand Duke of Northern with a smart brain was too active in photography. On the contrary, it was to the point of making the person taking the photos feel burdened.

“Hey, reporter. How about filming the second volume of The Red using me as a model? The sale would turn out good, isn’t it?”

“Ha, ha, ha, ha.”

I thought not a single book would be sold.

Of course, for the sake of a smooth social life, I had to save this answer and take the reaction as if the Duke had made a really funny joke. I trembled and laughed excessively.

“My goodness, Your Grace. You have such a great sense of humor. How could you come up with such a great joke? hahaha. I thought I was going to laugh out loud. Right, Mary?”

“Ha, ha, ha. Yeah, right.”

Mary agreed to my words in a monotonous tone, she even went as far as turning her head away and yawning at this time as if she wanted to return to the office immediately. However, if we come back like this, we would have nothing to write in the newspaper. I had no choice but to ask another question.

“Your Grace, what is the North like? I think it would be a very beautiful place because it’s covered in snow. “

He was an insensitive person. Having gotten the hint from my words, Mordred agreed on some parts.

“Yes. When you see the white snow-capped mountains from afar, it’s a place where the complex worries in life become so healing that they disappear. When you see all the glittering ice crystals scattered throughout the North, you will not want those expensive diamonds. The North is a place that could warm your heart.”

Finally having something to write about, I deftly threw out a question while keeping my hands busy writing the answers.

“I envy people who will have a fateful love with Your Grace this time. I can’t believe I can spend the rest of my life in such a romantic way in the beautiful place.”

“Of course, the truth is that when I was first expelled to the North, I felt overwhelmed. However when I think in a different perspective, I could see how lovely and beautiful the North is. It has become the most precious place that I want to protect now. I used to blame Her Majesty so much for kicking me out of my mother’s house. I don’t think that way anymore now. Instead, it is the place that suits me best. I am eternally grateful to him.”

“Oh, Her Majesty has good eyes.”

“Yes, sort of. I don’t fit in with the complicated capital city. I hope the woman who will like me later will be one who loves the North.”

Although he was a clear-minded person, he didn’t seem to have an overly deviant personality. I finished the interview in the hope that he would meet a good noblewoman.

* * *

Ever since the newspaper article spread the rumor with the Crown Prince, a party invitation flew from one place to another where Emily was temporarily staying. New artists who had become a hot topic lately also wanted to meet her, including nobles who were curious about her.

Noblewomen from abroad. The exotic stories she would tell, and how interesting it was that the Crown Prince had a one-sided love. These two parts stimulated the curiosity of the nobles.

And among the figures who were particularly interested in her was the princess’s fiancé, Prince George Abe. He actively requested that Emily to be present at the private parties he hosted. Emily didn’t even like the crown prince. How thrilling it would be if such a woman fell for him, George Abe thought. Of course, Emily was not easily swayed by him.

Emily and George Abe exchanged letters several times. In the meantime, the conversation was going very well. Just as they felt a bit closer, there came a torn booklet from Emily. It was one of the model photos from the book ‘The Red’, which has been talked about a lot recently. There was a white note on the back of the photo.

[Can you imagine how similar I am to this woman?]

She was a woman who captivated men’s hearts with just one letter. If only the two of them remained at the party, she would definitely give George the peak of pleasure. The woman who gave him the thrill of a printed piece of paper. 

‘How can I not fall in love with such a woman?’

A few days after receiving the letter, George pretended to know Emily nervously at the party she was reportedly going to attend. Of course, before meeting Emily, he instructed a pile of accessories and an expensive dress to be sent to the inn.

“My Lady, we’ve finally met. I’m George Abe, whom you have been acquainted with through letter.”

However, it was Emily’s demeanor that ensured George’s face was very stiff.

“Oh, I see.”

Leaving him quietly, she disappeared into the group of other noble ladies. There was no woman to secretly flirt and exchange secret conversations with him. George Abe pondered Emily’s cold demeanor and felt uneasy out of embarrassment, wondering if there were any mistakes he had made before they met today.

‘Did she not like the gift that I sent?’

When George Abe confirmed with the servants who had sent the gift, he found out that there were several other nobles who offered Emily more expensive gifts and money. Among them, there were those who personally came to the inn with gifts.

The woman who was slowly catching him with her intellectual charm. ‘You changed your attitude just because of a gift?’ George Abe began to feel anxious when he saw the other men around Emily.

‘It’s so close, d*mmit.’

‘If I’d seduced her just a little bit more, I could have taken that sweet girl from those b*st*r*s. I regret that I should have given her a more expensive and bigger gift, and on the other hand, I feel disappointed for being so greedy.’

“Excuse me, Your Highness? A beautiful lady asked me to give you this.”

A house user who was serving, put a note under the champagne glass and handed it to George.

[See you on the terrace on the second floor. From your soulmate.]

‘This is Emily’s handwriting that I’ve seen before.’

As expected, it was impossible to resist George Abe.

He folded Emily’s note carefully before tucking it in his front pocket, and hurried up to the terrace on the second floor. There, George waited anxiously for a long while before Emily finally opened the door and entered.

“Oh, welcome. It is cold today.”

George rushed to cover Emily’s shoulder with his coat. His lips even turned pale due to the low temperature. He trembled, but still pretended to care about women.

“His Highness is very kind.”

With Emily’s bright smile, George Abe choked up in fascination. For today, George really wanted to forget the fact that he had his own fiancée. He desired this foreign girl.