A Handsome K*nky Gangster Reporter - Chapter 85

#85

“I had a daughter before I moved to the capital. At that time, I wasn’t able to care for her, so I gave her to a woman. Now, my boutique business is doing well, and soon I’ll marry Count Madison. I want to find my daughter before the wedding.”

Tears welled up in Ferronel’s eyes and started streaming down her cheeks. Feeling a bit awkward, I carefully asked her:

“Does Count Madison know about your daughter?”

“Yes. When he proposed, I told him everything. He was quite disappointed not to have children of his own, but he was also supportive and comforting. He said he would get full support from his family and suggested that we start looking for my daughter.”

Wow. It’s really impressive that there’s a man who’s willing to accept a child who’s not his own just out of love. I felt envious of Ferronel for finding such a caring man.

In my head, the faces of three men flashed by. Even at a moment like this, I was selfishly thinking of three men instead of just one.

‘If I had a hidden child, would they accept my child too?’

Ciel is definitely out of the question. His mother would probably object right away. What about Phillip or Claude?

Realizing that this line of thought was pointless, I quickly shook my head. Now was the time to gather information from Madam.

“Do you remember the color of the child’s eyes or hair? And did you give her a name at that time?”

“At that time, I was in such a rush that I couldn’t give her a name. The little girl had silver hair like mine and purple eyes, which were like her father’s.”

Ferronel said that after her boutique became successful, she made every effort to find her daughter. However, she couldn’t find her or even the woman who took her.

That’s why she wanted to place a missing person ad in our newspaper. She hoped that with our paper, which is read by people abroad, she might have a chance of finding her daughter.

“What did the woman who took your child look like?”

“She had long, curly red hair. She was very beautiful, with a mysterious aura. She knew about my difficult situation and came to me immediately.”

With only these details about a woman with long, red, curly hair and a mysterious aura, it’s impossible to locate who took the child.

“Did you hear the name of the person who took your child?”

“She did mention her name, but in such a pressing situation, I couldn’t remember it clearly. I was fleeing from dangerous people at the time.”

“Do you know where the biological father of the child is now?”

“…No. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead. I moved to the capital to escape from him as well.”

My journalist instincts signaled that there’s a hidden story behind Madam’s tale.

“I’m sorry if this is a sensitive question, but can you tell me why you were fleeing from the child’s biological father?”

Ferronel closed her mouth in response to my question. It seemed that recalling the past was so painful for her that her body trembled. She clutched the hem of her skirt tightly and tried to calm her ragged breathing.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to talk about it. It’s not information that would help find my child. It’s a memory I’d rather forget.”

“Understood. I apologize for asking. So, what should be included in the newspaper ad?”

“Please mention that we are looking for a girl between 19 and 21 years old, born in the winter, with silver hair and purple eyes. Also, write that the mother who left her child is deeply regretting and looking for her now. Add that the mother misses her every day and loves her.”

Ferronel took out a handkerchief from her pocket, folded it, and blew her nose. She wiped her red eyes, occasionally sobbing, and struggled to continue her words. After a while, she began to explain why she couldn’t care for her child.

“At that time, I didn’t have the money to take my child to the doctor if she fell ill. So, I had to leave her with someone who promised to take care of her. Please add in the ad that I deeply regret not finding her sooner. And… that I miss and love her every day.”

The sound of sobs began to fill the room. In this office, I was the only one who could remain composed. From near the office door, I could hear Mary and Anna crying as well. Sad emotions are easily contagious.

“In the ad, I won’t mention that Madam Ferronel is the one searching. We don’t want people who are just after money to come and exploit the situation.”

Ferronel nodded in agreement. She wiped her tears and took a moment to calm herself. Even just placing the ad was enough to bring out such intense emotions; if someone claiming to be her daughter showed up, she would probably cry even more.

“Also, if someone thinks they might be the person mentioned in the ad, I’ll write for them to come to the newspaper office. It seems I should meet them first to determine if they are truly your daughter.”

I thought that Ferronel wouldn’t be able to make a proper judgment when she’s so emotional. Of course, this would increase the workload of our staff, but what can I do? This is the consequence of having a boss who cares too much. If the work becomes too much, we can just hire additional staff.

‘Maybe if I ask my mother for help, I could find Ferronel’s child faster.’

However, many people in the Empire are skeptical of magic. So, after trying human methods first, if nothing works, I might need to use Madam’s hair to secretly use magic to find her.

‘For now, I also need to think about the cost of the ad.’

Even though there’s a faster way, I feel a bit guilty for asking for the ad fee. I’m sorry, Madam.

In the end, the missing person ad for Ferronel’s child was published on the back page of the newspaper. After running the ad in the same spot for a month, responses started to come in. Letters from people claiming to be orphans seeking their parents began arriving at the newspaper office.

***

Emily, who had become a socialite star thanks to her status as a Cortizan, was starting to get tired of her fame and popularity. Most of the people who approached her were either artists who adored her beauty or wealthy, unfaithful noblemen. Although she received expensive gifts and spent her nights at parties and living in luxury funded by these men, Emily felt like a clown precariously hanging on a tightrope.

‘All of this will end when I grow old and these men leave me.’

When that time came, she planned to live abroad with the jewelry and money she had accumulated. She would go to a place where no one knew her, change her name, and live freely.

She had managed to get her brother, Theo Fiddler, a low-level job at the palace through her followers. To those who questioned their relationship, Theo claimed Emily was a distant relative.

“From now on, don’t pretend to know me. Having someone working at the palace isn’t the same as being a Cortizan.”

Theo, Emily’s younger brother, was incredibly self-centered. If he weren’t her brother, Emily wouldn’t have ever involved him in such a job. She regretted not taking Hailey’s advice to cut ties with him earlier, but it was too late for regrets now.

Meanwhile, among the nobles who loved to party, Emily’s face was widely known. Some noblewomen even criticized her, calling her vulgar for accepting money from men without caring who they were. Yet, they still copied her outfits, jewelry, hairstyles, and even her shoes.

‘Hypocritical nobles.’

Emily was fed up with all of it.

As she got out of bed and sipped the tea handed to her by a maid, Emily picked up the newspaper. She carefully read the latest news and gossip to study noble etiquette. Amid the news, she came across an ad looking for someone.

“A girl with silver hair and purple eyes? Born in the winter?”

Although her hair was dyed now, Emily had silver hair when she was young. It had turned dark gray as she aged, and her eyes could definitely be described as deep purple.

She remembered being the only one with silver hair among her mother, younger brother, and younger sister, and how she had been admired by the adults in her neighborhood for her beauty. Her mother had said she resembled her late father, but Emily knew that wasn’t true.

The village gossip claimed that Emily was the result of something bad that happened to her mother when she was young.

Was it her dissatisfaction with her current family that made her think this way? Emily read the ad several times, deeply hoping that she could find a new family. If someone had gone so far as to place an ad in Hailey’s newspaper to find their child, they must be wealthy and seriously searching for their child.

With this conclusion, Emily canceled all her plans for the day and called a hairdresser to her home.

“Change my hair back to its original color.”

After having supported a family she considered like insects, maybe it was time to leave them behind and start a new life, right?

***

Anna, who was sorting through letters from all over the country, placed the letters from the most likely candidates for Madame’s child on Hailey’s desk.

“Boss, it might be best if you check these people out in person. Their birth years and seasons match.”

We hadn’t specifically mentioned in the ad whether it was the biological parents searching or not, and we had also kept the fact that it was Madame Ferronel who was searching a secret. We only stated that we were looking for a daughter with certain hair and eye colors, born between the ages of 19-20, and born in winter.

Even so, a huge number of letters claiming to be from people searching for their child had arrived at the newspaper office. This experience showed just how many people out there have tragic stories.

“Really? Then we need to invite these people in and check their faces. We’ll cover the costs of staying in the capital and the hotel, so send them an invitation to come to the newspaper office. Oh, and send it under my name. Don’t let them know Madame Ferronel’s name just yet.”

Hailey suspected that many of these letters might be scams. But knowing how much Madame wanted to see her child, she wanted to give everyone a chance. After all, as the biological child, there should be something that resembles Madame, right?

“I wish genetic testing with chromosome analysis was available in this era.”

Unfortunately, science is still at the stage where foreign scientists have just discovered the laws of inheritance through pea plant experiments. The current methods for determining parentage are just mixing blood over holy water in temples to detect deceit or lies. While this method is crucial for those who need it desperately, I, coming from a modern age, couldn’t possibly trust such ancient temple methods.

“I should have studied science more diligently.”

If I had, maybe I could have managed parentage testing myself? Probably not. Hmm. Of course, I wouldn’t be researching Mendelian genetics even if I were reborn. It seems the power of a witch mother is necessary here.

As I was lost in these futile thoughts, someone came into our office.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Come in.”

When Anna said that the door opened, and the person who walked in was Emily with bleached hair. Her hair, which was a lighter gray than before, was neatly braided to one side.

“Hey, Emily. Your hair…”

Emily adjusted her hair and gave an awkward smile.

“Does it look really strange? I tried to return it to my original color, but since it was dyed once, it turned out like this.”

Emily’s hair was now a color so light it could almost be called silver.

“Wait a minute. Silver hair and purple eyes. Could it be…?”